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  • The Thought and its Effect in Life

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    The definition of the thought: The thought is the judgement of reality from a specific viewpoint, as opposed to philosophy, which is the judgement of what has no reality.

    The definition and the basics of the Islamic thought: It is the judgement of reality from an Islamic viewpoint, i.e. the viewpoint of the Islamic Aqeeda (doctrine) and the rules which emanate from it.

    The definition and the basics of the capitalist thought:

    It is the judgement of reality from a capitalist viewpoint i.e. from the viewpoint of the doctrine of separating the Deen from temporal life, based on benefit and determined by humankind.

    The definition and the basics of the communist thought:

    It is the judgement of reality from a communist viewpoint i.e. the materialist doctrine based on the negation of the existence of the Creator and on the theory of evolution.

    The elements of the thought: The thought is composed of three elements:

    1- The reality.

    2- The judgement.

    3- The linking of reality and the judgement.

    The reality is of two types:

    1- The things

    2- The actions (oral and physical).

    The judgement and the linking:

    If the reality were a thing, its rule would be either permitted or forbidden, for instance the apple is permitted and wine is forbidden; this is so because the Shari’ah principle states: The basic rule for things is permissibility as long as there is no evidence to forbid them.

    If the reality were an action, its rule would be either obligatory, forbidden, desirable, undesirable, or permitted, for instance, actions such as prayer, performing Zakat, establishing the Khilafah and observing Ramadhan are all obligatory; building of mosques and giving Sadaqa to the poor is desirable, whereas usury (Riba) and participation in the disbelieving ruling system is forbidden, and talking in the bath and shaving the beard is undesirable, buying and selling and eating or not eating bread is permitted.

    The Shari’ah principle regarding the actions states: The basic rule regarding actions is to abide by the rule before committing the act. Passing judgement on reality must be taken from the Shari’ah evidences, the source of which are the Book and the Sunnah and what they lead to such as the general consensus (Ijma’a) of the Sahaba and the analogy (Qiyas).

    The attribution of the thought:

    The thought is attributed to three elements:

    1- The personalities: i.e. those in whom it originates such as Marx (Marxist thought) or Plato (Platonic thought) etc..

    2- The people: i.e. the people who carry such thought, it is for instance said: The Arab thought, or the European thought or the Russian thought etc..

    3- The doctrines (Aqa’id): i.e. the thought is attributed to the basic fundament on which it is built, thus it is said: the capitalist thought, the Islamic thought, the communist thought etc.. The correct attribution is where the thought is attributed to the doctrine i.e. to the basic fundament upon which it is built. The Arab thought before Islam was not Islamic nor is it nowadays Islamic as far as the majority is concerned, for they carry the capitalist or Marxist thought.

    The Islamic thought is one, there is no difference between the thought transmitted by Imam Al-Hanbali of Najd, or Al-Bukhari from Bukhara, or Al-Mawurdi Al-Asyawi of Asia or Mohammed Asad the Austrian, the thought they carried was Islamic regardless of their nationality and tongue. Therefore the Islamic thought brought by the Arabs and non Arabs is the same, for it is derived from the Islamic Aqeeda, i.e. from the Revelation manifested by the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Messenger (Peace be upon Him), and extracted in the lawful manner and understood clearly, this could only be achieved by the Arabic language.

    The Islamic thought is two types: One that is linked to the Aqeeda i.e. the belief, such as the belief in Allah, His angels, His Books, His Messengers and the Day of Judgement.

    The other type is related to the practical Shari’ah rules such as Jihad, the establishment of Khilafah, the unification of Muslim land, the establishment of prayer and Hajj etc…

    The basics of the Islamic thought:

    The Islamic thought is built on two fundamentals:

    The mind i.e. rationality and the Shari’ah.

    1- The mind:

    Islam has addressed the human mind, Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta’ala) has ordered the human to think, reflect and look at the creations, the universe, the human being and life, and ponder on the relationship between what was before life and is to come after, in order to realise with his mind the belief in the existence of a Creator Who created everything and organised everything. Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta’ala) says: [51 : 21 TMQ], “As also in your own selves: will you not then see?”  He (Subhanahu wa Ta’ala) also says: [86 : 5 TMQ], “So let the human think from what he is created” And He (Subhanahu wa Ta’ala) says: [7 : 185 TMQ], “Do they see nothing in the ordinance of the heavens and the earth and all that Allah had created?”

    With the help of his mind the sane human can realise the existence of a Creator of this universe, and to realise that the Qur’an is the word of Allah and that Muhammad (Peace be upon Him) is the Messenger of Allah, thus the mind would be the basis of the Islamic Aqeeda, and the Islamic Aqeeda would be a rational one i.e. based on rationality and it is the basis of the Islamic thought.

    2- The Shari’ah: The Islamic thought with all its particulars, whether the matters which the limited human mind cannot realise because they do not reach the human’s senses such as the being of Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta’ala), or the angels, or Heaven and Hell etc., or the practical matters related to his actions and his sayings, all these have one single origin which is the Shari’ah, i.e. what has been brought by the revelation – the Qur’an and the Sunnah in all its forms i.e. the oral, practical and avowal, and the other evidences which the Qur’an and the Sunnah have led to in terms of general consensus of the Sahaba and analogy.

    The Shari’ah would therefore be the basis of the Islamic thought and it would never override, and for the thought to be considered Islamic it has to have a Shari’ah evidence taken from the revelation. Jihad, the establishment of the Khilafah, the Shura and the belief in the Day of Judgement and the angels, are Islamic concepts for they have evidences derived from the Book and the Sunnah, whereas colonialism, democracy, secularism, the theory of Darwin, socialism, Baathism and the Crusades are non Islamic concepts; The Islamic thought has clearly determined its position vis-a-vis such concepts and its total rejection of them. The Islamic thought would lose its characteristics if it were to abandon completely or partly the revelation; And Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta’ala) has prohibited us and warned us against abandoning the revelation for He (Subhanahu wa Ta’ala) says [3 : 85 TMQ], “If anyone desires a religion other than Islam, never will it be accepted of him; and in the Hereafter he will be in the ranks of those who have lost.”

    The Islamic thought is unique and does not resemble any other thought at all, it cannot be patched up or gradually implemented as some people attempt to do; they adopt the Marxist or the capitalist economic system, the moral and social concepts of the west and then they call for the gradual implementation of the Islamic concepts alongside the concepts of disbelief, they are impressed by every new and alien concept, and they falsely and deceivingly attribute it to the Islamic thought in order to conform it with the prevailing thought, and this is known as bargaining i.e. pragmatism.

    The special features of the Islamic thought:

    The Islamic thought has its special features, the main ones are:

    1- The generality of the Islamic thought: For it organises all aspects of human life, the political, social, economic, cultural and moral; Islam has come to organise the mankind’s relationship with his Creator, himself and with others, Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta’ala) says: [16 : 89 TMQ], “And We have revealed the Book to you explaining everything.”

    2- The extensiveness of the Islamic thought: The extensiveness of the Islamic texts allow the scholars to exert the appropriate Shari’ah rules for any matter that arises be it related to an action or a thing.

    3- The Islamic thought is a practical thought: Its rules have come to be implemented and executed in temporal life. This thought has been practically implemented for thirteen centuries within a state that has led the World. Islam has linked action to the belief in many of the Qur’anic verses, Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta’ala) says: [103 : 1 TMQ], “By the time through the ages, verily the human is in loss, except those that beleive and do the right actions”

    4- The Islamic thought is addressed to humanity: Islam has addressed mankind in its quality as human regardless of race, colour or tongue, Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta’ala) says [2 : 21 TMQ], “O you people worship your Lord.” And He (Subhanahu wa Ta’ala) says addressing the seal of prophets and Messengers (Peace be upon them) [7:158 TMQ], “Say: O people! I am the Messenger of Allah sent unto you all.” And He (Subhanahu wa Ta’ala) says: [49 : 13 TMQ], “And We created you into peoples and tribes that you may know each other. Verily the most honoured of you in the sight of Allah are the most pious ones.”

    The Arabs, the Persians, the Romans, the Indians and others have all embraced this Deen, and they were taken out of the darkness to the Light, and out of the decline to the sound intellectual renaissance, not to the intellectually, morally and humanly low and materialist renaissance.

  • Thinking for Change: Its Reality and Basis

    CHANGE

    Change is motion (حركة) and motion is life (حياة). Stagnation (جمود) is death. In fact, life is nothing but a manifestation of growth (نمو) and motion. Indeed, change is evolution, in that, it aims at the transference of a matter from one situation to another situation. Life, in all its manifestations, is in continuous motion and hence, change. So, the submission to fatalism and the stagnation of life are from the greatest dangers; they bring the peoples and nations to ruin and extinction and the individuals to disintegration, gradually, as events occur and days pass. Thus, statements such as “the world is ill-fated” or “the Ummah is bad and beyond salvation” are of the most dangerous thoughts in this world. Hence, the thinking for change is the most important type of thinking since it allows one to proceed through life and its various forms (إشكال). The desire for change is deep-rooted and natural in all. The very feeling of life brings about this desire, since it is a feeling of the continuous motion of matter from one situation to another and its growth in all directions.

    No-one can fail to see that man does not live in a vacuum of one day, but thinks about his future, whether it were close or distant, temporal or beyond. Man is never absolutely content with the reality he lives within, if it is good, he seeks better, if it is bad or corrupt he desires to better it. Hence, man has much nostalgia for the past and constantly aspires for the future, yearning for it. While the feeling for change is a natural and inevitable matter, there exist factors and circumstances that restrain or restrict this desire, or alternatively, that drive it forth in strength. This is due to the work for change being burdensome and tedious requiring great efforts and sacrifices, and the natural physical and mental disparities amongst people in terms of strength and motivations. The weak and lazy fear change, whilst the rulers and those termed conservatives, wage war against it and all those who work for it, mercilessly, attacking their provisions and lives. They seek only to preserve their present situation, either to maintain a particular interest or because they know no better. Those who custom and habit govern require change, yet fear it, since it takes them from one situation to another.

    MAN (INSAN)

    Man is a living being and like all living beings possesses and shares in common certain properties. So, he grows and ages, gives birth and multiplies, preserves himself and defends himself. He feels his weakness and need and sentiment and sympathy, and feels much more all of which he pursues in the path of satisfaction. Man, from birth to death, is in permanent motion seeking such satisfaction. Such feelings and desires result from a vital energy latent within him. The vital energy contains natural feelings (إحساسات طبيعية) that drive man towards satisfaction and produce emotions (مشاعر). This energy demands satisfaction and hence drives man to perform diverse actions in order to realise this satisfaction. The vital energy is the original energy (طاقة الأصلي) in every man, it stems from the Fitra (human nature), which are those attributes existent in man as part of his form, much like the attribute of cutting of a knife fashioned from a piece of metal. This vital energy has two distinct aspects: one demanding satisfaction definitively and inevitably and the other merely demanding satisfaction. They are both the organic needs and the instincts respectively.

    The organic needs are those vital energies demanding definitive and inevitable satisfaction and if not satisfied lead to man’s death. They relate to the very existence of the vital energy, like eating, drinking and the call of nature. They also require certain conditions, such as sleep and rest, which if neglected for a while lead to distraction. The impetus that drives the organic need is internal by itself. So hunger is felt regardless of one’s external circumstance, when its time approaches. However, there may also be an external influence on the organic need that motivate it like the sight, smell or discussion of food and drink.

    The instincts are those vital energies that merely demand satisfaction, if they remain unsatisfied anxiety, agitation and unrest is felt rather than death. So not fulfilling the sexual inclination or the desire to own will not lead to extinction of the person but will cause an anxiety and unrest. The instincts are natural inclinations whose impetus is not internal at all but is rather external. The instincts are moved to satisfaction only when an external impetus stimulates and influences them causing these natural inclinations to form emotions. This external impetus is of two types: (a sensible perceptible reality that influences the emotions) or (thoughts having meanings that relate to, realities or things, that influence the emotions). For example, the sexual inclination may be motivated by the sight of a beautiful woman or the speaking about realities that denote the sexual feeling for someone. Hence, the need for sexual activity is felt when either of the two motivators, that of a reality or a thought denoting a reality, influence the instinct. If after this motivation the need is not satisfied agitation and anxiety will ensue and unrest will establish itself in the heart of the person. However, in the absence of an external impetus the desire for sexual activity will not exist at all, since, there is no internal impetus coming from purely within the person. Whilst the instinct is a natural energy existing within the person it cannot move towards satisfaction without an external stimuli. In this case the agitation or unrest within the person cannot exist in absence of the impetus and the person will remain settled.

    The Western world has with short-sightedness and stupidity introduced and proliferated the sexual publications and stories and encouraged the mixing of men and women, with no regard for the khalwa (isolation), in these acts they have constantly motivated the sexual feeling at every turn and down every path. The person is busily involved in seeking satisfaction for this feeling constantly and is prone to anxiety and unrest when he is not satisfied, and he will never be satisfied enough. Hence, Western societies suffer from the permanent hardship of constant unrest. Islam deals with the sexual inclination preventing the motivation of the instinct except through marriage and by preventing the entrance of the motivator of the sexual feeling into the public domain.

    The instincts are several and not one. The feeling of survival inherent within every person pushes him for self-preservation. This is a natural feeling for survival and immortality of oneself alone. This is the survival instinct and has many manifestations including that of ownership, fear and bravery and the love of dominance, sovereignty and leadership. As an example, fear is an inevitable manifestation of the survival instinct it is a dangerous problem if it is the fear of illusions and phantasms and this is the problem of the weak-minded who are weak or deficient in their ability of linkage of information to reality. To remove this the weak concepts about such realities must be removed and the level of sensation and thought raised. The fear due to the incorrect evaluation of the results of the performance or non-performance of the action is another danger it may result in refraining from participation in the battle due to fear of loss of life resulting in the loss of the battle for all. Or the fear of speaking out against the ruler resulting in the maintenance of an oppressive system over all. However, fear of real dangers is beneficial and is a guardian and protector since it makes one aware of real dangers. As is fear of Allah and his punishment. The feeling for the survival of the species manifests itself in the inclination of desire to the opposite sex, the feeling of compassion for the mother and the feeling of fatherhood, all this with the intent of progeny and maintenance of the species. It also manifests itself in the humanitarian property, where if one sees a drowning person, he will rush to save him, seeking no material value but the humanitarian one.

    The sexual feelings towards the same sex or animals are not from the natural inclinations and are deviations from the natural feeling. This instinct is the species instinct and it is not the sexual instinct, rather it is feeling for the survival of the species.

    The natural feeling of limitation and need results in the respect for great powers, the reverence of heroes and the worship of Allah. For this is the religious instinct (تدين) which stems from the natural feeling of weakness and the need for an organising Creator (خالق مدبر). It manifests in the reverence, being the highest of sincere heartily respect. Worship is also an effect of this instinct. This instinct has been denied or misguided in satisfaction resulting in the worship and reverence of creation over the centuries or the sanctification of individuals and science by the atheists, those unnatural deviants from their own nature.

    These are the two aspects of the vital energy that demand satisfaction. Their existence is not directly sensible (perceptible) but is felt by the existence of their manifestations. Hence, one feels hunger and thirst indicating the presence of such organic needs. Also, the manifestations of the instincts are the instinctive responses to the motivating impetus and prove the existence of these three instincts. However, it should be clear that the manifestations stem from the original feeling unique to each instinct, survival of oneself, one’s species and the innate feeling of weakness. This relationship can be likened to that between a root and a branch. Whilst the branch stems naturally from the root, anyone of the branches may be replaced for another without affecting the root. So, the inclinations and feelings for one’s mother may be replaced by a feeling of fatherhood without affecting the satisfaction of the original instinct. The manifestations of the instincts appear according to the movement of the instincts in response to the external impetus, be it a thought or a sensed reality. These feelings of the instincts (إحساسات الغرائز) (in the metaphorical sense) in response to either impetus are the emotions.

    All animals, being living beings like man, share this vital energy and instinctive response to external motives. However, their behaviour does not proceed beyond the instinctive response to an externally sensed reality from which they acquire the instinctive distinction. Man possesses the mind, the comprehension of reality by issuing a judgment over it. This distinguishes him from all other living beings providing him with the capacity to organise his satisfaction. When man experiences an instinctive response and a resultant demand for satisfaction, he is faced with two questions. Firstly, what are the things that are suitable for man’s satisfaction? Secondly, are such things allowed or disallowed to him? Both these questions require specific thoughts that judge these realities. If the meanings of these thoughts denote a reality that is either sensible externally or a reality built on a sensible reality, providing that the reality is visualised in his mind, and believed in, a concept is formed. This belief would exist if the thought convinced man and this would occur if the thought agreed with the sensed reality. Hence, since concepts are those thoughts believed in man’s behaviour will proceed according to them. As for the first question previously mentioned, whether or not a thing satisfies the desire and satiates the need? This is answered by the establishment of concepts about the suitability of the thing for satisfaction. So can an apple satisfy hunger as opposed to a rock, does the clothing protect from the heat and cold. These concepts about things (Shay) are rarely disputed and almost universally agreed upon, except for the dispute relating to personal taste and preference. The existence of these concepts about things within a person when combined with motives for satisfying the vital energy, forms the inclinations towards things within the person. The second question of the allowance or non-allowance of the thing for satisfaction is an external matter to the essence of the thing or man. It is a response to a principle or a set of principles, in other words, to the point of view about life. For Muslims this would be the Halal and Haram. These concepts about life relate to the change of man unlike the concepts about things.

    As man proceeds through life developing such concepts, he develops strong inclinations and as he experiences the diverse styles and forms of life, coupled with his concepts about life, he acquires a distinctive taste in these matters. These inclinations drive his satisfaction in a particular direction and provides a source of fuel for action and concern for thought. This is since it is the emotive aspect of man that provides a sense of urgency and concern about judging the issues of life and pursuing tasks. In fact, the behavior is understood to be those actions performed to satisfy the organic needs and instincts. These inclinations themselves mix inevitably with the concepts about life leading to the formation of the disposition of man. However, man is not pure feeling alone, although it is true that the sentiment in him is the blazing passion (emotion), rather he possesses a mind and can evaluate the various issues of life. This mind is suitable to lead and govern the sentiment. Hence, the way man thinks will be a dominant factor on his behaviour. This way of thinking will be crystallised if it measured according to a principle or principles. This is the mentality and it is the principle or principles that determine the nature of the mentality. From these two elements the mentality and the disposition, the personality is formed. The personality acts in life and this is his behaviour.

    The personality may be disparate and weak if its guiding principles are many and if a disparity exists between the mentality and the disposition, in terms of the concepts. However, if there is a single principle that guides the mentality and also the concepts about life that organise the direction of the disposition, then the personality will be strong, despite the possible lapses in behaviour, and distinct, particularly if this thought was an aqeeda about life that functioned as an intellectual basis. So, any thinking for change must consider all the factors that constitute the human behavior and personality in terms of drives and concepts. The state of the one targeted for change, in terms of these inclinations and thoughts, must be studied meticulously, the obstacles to change within him identified and the most influential and productive styles adopted to yield swift results by shortening the time between the action for change and its results.

    THINKING FOR CHANGE

    The thinking for change does not mean the existence of the feeling of the necessity for the change of a situation or thoughts. Rather it means the existence of a situation in this universe requiring change. This is since man has the humanitarian property that emanates from the species instinct. This drives him to feel concern for all people in their quality as humans and once the thinking for change of one’s own situation is complete the thought to change all other people’s and nations foreign to him, must exist for it to be a true thinking for change. In fact, the thinking for change cannot stop until the universe submits to the assured basis upon which the one who seeks change launches his campaign. The thinking for change breaks free from the depths of the souls (نفس) of people. It is deep rooted in people since the events of life motivate this feeling for change, life itself is constantly changing and the mere feeling of life is enough to initiate it. Hence, the thinking for change is an inevitable matter in human beings, despite the strong forces placed in front of change by those who would thwart it. People can be made thinkers in change by the way of convictions, an overpowering force (coercion) or the actual occurrence of change. The way of convictions is the best and most powerful manner to establish the thinking for change. Since, it requires the intellectual awareness of the reality of the situation requiring change and an intellectual feeling for the envisioned change. The overpowering force may initiate a thinking for change though it is not sufficient to keep the thinkers in change continual in their thinking, since without a serious interest it will be extinguished. The actual occurrence of a change causes people to realise the full value of change and makes the thinking for change easy and highlights the necessity for this change.

    INITIATING THE THINKING FOR CHANGE

    The thinking for change whether concerning the changing of individuals themselves, societies, or the circumstances of peoples and nations requires the change of the basis of living and the basis of life. This is since any effort for change not starting with the basis is a mockery of this thought for change and not serious. One cannot change the branch without changing the root. Changing the basis means changing the collection of basic thoughts that dominate the person or group. These thoughts would need to be changed in order to change the personalities and behaviour of the ones targeted for change. Changing the basic thoughts would be changing the basic concept, the basic criteria and the basic conviction to the correct and honest ones. By changing these thoughts, one would change the basic values of things and thoughts completely. This basis in any people would constitute the viewpoint about life. If the viewpoint were wrong or non-existent the change would be needed. But if the basis is correct no change would be required and the idea for change would not even enter the hearts and minds of those who carry it. This correct basis would be a rational doctrine that agrees with man’s human nature (that is the religious instinct). Those who possess such a basis would not need to think for change in themselves but ought to think for it in other peoples and nations foreign to them.

    ASPECTS OF THINKING FOR CHANGE

    The thinking for change is an inevitable and natural matter. But people differ in their ability to pursue change and realise it, and in their ability to think for a change in productive manner. Some people differ in their motives, purposes and aims in seeking change. Varying from the partial to the high, from the selfish to the concern for others. These diverse aims depend on the strength of the intellectual awareness. This is since man does not seek change unless he senses a corrupt reality requiring change. Sensation of reality is a basic condition of the intellectual process; understanding cannot come without a sense of reality. However, the sense of the material matters is termed the sensible understanding (إدراك الحسي) such as the coldness of ice or sweetness of honey. The sensing of the non-material issues like corruption, goodness and badness and honour is other than this, it is termed the intellectual feeling (sensation). The intellectual feeling (إحساس الفكري) is the use of a previous thought to define the manner of judging a reality. Hence, the sensing of the corruption of a situation requires the intellectual feeling. However, the intellectual sensation differs in terms of strengths amongst people from those with the sensitive senses (إحساس المحرف) who are swift at sensing the corruption, to those of normal senses requiring some attention in their sensing, till the weak in sensing, who are shallow in sensation. Hence, the strength of awareness and the previous thought determines the strength of the work for change, since it determines the strength of the sensing of corruption.

    The other side to this the intellectual awareness is the feeling of the alternate reality, change is being directed towards. Such a vision established by conviction represents the seriousness in pursuing change. As well as awareness, a seriousness in thinking and working for change must exist. Seriousness in thinking for a change would be placing a specified target and striving to realise this target. It would also involve a good vision about the reality being thought about which would include the laying of a detailed plan with clearly defined and understood steps in the way to achieve that aim. This will ensure that the aim will be both practically as well as rationally possible in the minds of the people. Seriousness in working for change would mean performing actions to the same level of the intended aim. So actions unsuitable to the specified aim will not be chosen rather actions that achieve the aim in a productive manner.

    REVIVAL

    Revival is linguistically an energy or power and its location is one of a high place. Revival is a transference from a situation to a better situation. So, it is a change. However, this motion is an elevation from a lower state to a higher one. Revival is in fact an intellectual elevation, since man does not truly raise up except on the basis of the thoughts about life he carries in terms of the organisation of his affairs. Thus, the elevation is the transference from the aspect of pure animality to the human aspect. If this elevation is based on a spiritual foundation that it will be a true revival based on an aqeeda that takes care of the affairs of this world and the here-after.

    The Muslim Ummah has been blessed with a decisive belief that is arrived to through the use of the mind and hence is rational. It is built on the mind agreeing with the rational principles and answers human nature perfectly. It possesses a political spiritual aqeeda that founds a noble ideology providing solutions to all human problems. It is an intellectual basis and intellectual leadership that by its very nature demands no change in itself, since it is the height of perfection, but motivates change in all places for all peoples till its message reaches every part of this universe and its state overshadows the world.

    28/6/97

  • Islam, Scientific Ideology and Evolution

    Islam, “Scientific Ideology,” and Evolution

    Introduction

    In the society today evolution has become a fact that is worshipped at all levels. Since Darwin proposed his theory, the concept of evolution has become so institutionalized that it is regarded as an indisputable fact that is above questioning, doubt, or criticism. Those who even suggest an alternative are either censored or labeled as freaks who go against the tide of everything advanced, modern, and civilized. Even the Church, regarded by many as the “Last stand against Evolution,” has given to defeat and has accepted evolution as a fact.

    It is clear that the Theory of Evolution contradicts Islam clearly; Evolution claims that life emerged from material and evolved into its different forms through random mutation and selective environmental pressures, while Islam states that life originated from Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta’ala) and that Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta’ala), and not randomness or natural selection, created all the diversity of the living world. Yet the of the Theory of Evolution, and its foundation of “Scientific Ideology” is so pervasive that even Muslims have become institutionalized with them. Many Muslims are at a loss when it comes to confronting the Theory of Evolution, and this lack of understanding may result in Muslims giving way to the ideas and thoughts of the Kufr culture, which may ultimately result in Muslims trying to reconcile between those Kufr ideas and Islam. As a result, the Muslims have been bombarded and cultured with ideas such as Evolution and Scientific Ideology to such an extent that many Muslims would be led to believe that Islam is a “scientific” way of life or that Evolution does not contradict Islam.

    Today the scientific thinking represents the prevailing thought of the West which it is trying to propagate to the world, and the West takes a great amount of pride in this “scientific thought.” Furthermore, the Theory of Evolution is a concept — perhaps the most pervasive concept — that has emerged as a byproduct of this method of thinking. This concept has become so dear and respected in the eyes of the people that even the slightest challenge to either the Scientific thinking or to the Theory of Evolution will strike at the very emotions of the people.

    The Muslims must understand every arm of Kufr if they are to be able to address the people and present Islam to them in an effective way. When Muhammed (saw) carried the Daw’ah, he addressed the prevailing thoughts and ideas of the people, he attacked their method of thinking and establishing their ideas, and he presented Islam to them in an effective manner. The Muslims are obliged to carry the Daw’ah in the same manner, and not understanding the thoughts and ideas of the Kuffar makes carrying the Daw’ah impossible. The prevailing thought among the West is that the scientific method can be used at the ideological level in order to address the human being and to present solutions to human problems and to the problems of human societies. Also, the West has pushed for the idea that the scientific method or thought can be used to arrive at a doctrine of belief and prove the existence of what was before and after the life, as well as to prove the origins of man, life, and the universe. As a result, the Theory of Evolution has emerged as a byproduct of this thinking in order to provide a doctrine of belief, or an Aqeedah, based on scientific thought. Because the scientific thought and method are used by the Kuffar to arrive at the doctrine of belief and to address human beings and human problems at the level of the ideology, and the Theory of Evolution represents this view of scientific thought. Thus, it becomes imperative for the Muslims to understand what is the scientific thought and method, what are the limits of science, and what is the basis of the Theory of Evolution in order to put things in their proper perspective and address the Theory of Evolution in the proper perspective.

    Building Belief

    Because the scientific thought is believed by many to be a basis for thought and building belief, and the Theory of Evolution is a result of this thinking, then it is important to discuss the criterion for establishing belief and arriving at the doctrine of belief, or the Aqeedah. Human beings perceive their surroundings directly and, through their perceptions, they acquire information about their surroundings. By linking this information with previous information they have through use of the mind, human beings arrive at certain facts and conclusions, which provides the basis for thoughts, concepts and ideas about life and the universe. This process, called the intellectual or rational process, is what distinguishes human beings from all other creations, and it is the only way in which thoughts and ideas are arrived at, and these thoughts and ideas form the basis of belief.

    For a belief or thought to be definite and correct, it must be established upon definite facts. In the absence of definite facts, one can only speculate or make assumptions, which leads to doubt because speculation and assumptions cannot be proven as correct. Only through the rational or intellectual approach, which depends upon the process of thinking to arrive at definite facts, can the correct belief or thoughts be established.

    The question that comes is: What sources provide information which human beings, through the rational approach, can arrive at definite facts? The only sources of information are:

    Directly through sensory perception of the surroundings

    Information from a credible source for things that are beyond the senses and the comprehension of the human mind.

    Realities that lay beyond the realm of sensory perception and comprehension cannot be proven conclusively based on observation through the senses because they are beyond the realm of perception. Such things include: Past events, the origin of life and the universe, what was before life and the universe, and what will come after life and the universe. Information for such things can only come from a credible source, and the validity of the information will depend upon whether the source of the information – whether it is the Bible, or the Qur’an – can prove itself to be a credible source. From these two sources, definite facts are derived, and from these facts, thoughts and ideas are arrived at, which form the building blocks of belief and the foundation of the ideology.

    The Limits of Science

    Based upon the process of building belief, it is evident that science has its limits. The scientific method is a specific method in research used to find the reality of something by subjecting the thing to experimental conditions and environments other than its original conditions, and then comparing the original and the imposed conditions in order to deduce facts. Through this process a tangible reality is deduced. This process can only be employed in research on the tangible things that can be subjected to experimental conditions. Furthermore, the result that is obtained by the scientific method is not absolute, but indefinite and subject to error or the possibility of error. The possibility of error in the scientific method is one of its principles as laid down in scientific research.

    These facts show plainly that science cannot be used to build belief or thoughts and concepts about man, life and the universe, nor can science be used to address human problems and needs because such things cannot be subjected to experimental conditions. One cannot put human problems, human societies, and the issues that human beings face and subjugate them to laboratory or experimental conditions and derive conclusions or solutions to such realities based on the scientific method. Similarly, one cannot observe things beyond perception or beyond the comprehension of the human mind, such as what existed before life and the universe, what will come after life and the universe, or the origins of man, life, and the universe, and subjugate these things to the scientific method because the scientific method only deals with tangible objects that can be subjected to scientific experimentation. Furthermore, the possibility of error is inherent in the scientific method. A fundamental precept of the conclusions that are deduced through the scientific method is that they are subject to error or to the possibility of error, and this fact eliminates the possibility of science to be used as a basis for building define facts about man, life and the universe.

    Also, the scientific method is an offshoot of the rational method and is not a basis of thought. The rational method deals with things that are within the realm of sensory perception and comprehension by the human mind and senses, while the scientific method is restricted to those things among the perceivable and comprehensible that can be subjected to experimental conditions. Therefore, the scientific method cannot be made as a basis of though because it is not an origin that could be built upon, but a branch of an origin. There are many things that lay within the comprehension of the human mind and the perception of the human senses – such as human problems, the issues that human beings face, the fields of language, fiqh (jurisprudence), and linguistics, and the political movements of nations and societies – that are sources of knowledge and facts but cannot be subjected to experimental conditions and the scientific thought. Treating the scientific method as an origin would exclude a great deal of information and sources of facts from research, and would lead to the absence of a large number of branches of knowledge which contain facts, even though they definitely exist and are felt through the senses and reality.

    A person can expose water to extreme heat or cold and observe that it freezes at a particular temperature and boils at another temperature using measuring devices, but the same person cannot use such a procedure for taking an angel or a piece of Hell-Fire and deriving certain conclusions through observations. Similarly, a person can analyze a distant star by using instruments that can measure its energy output, but there is no instrument that can detect the Creator and measure the Creator’s dimensions and composition. Similarly, a person can study enzymatic reactions in a cell or observe through a microscope the physical features of cell tissue cultures, but he cannot do the same with the economic and social problems of human beings and deduce facts based on scientific experimentation.

    The correct method of discussing ideas is not through the scientific thinking because scientific thought is restricted in studying materials and laws of the universe and understanding the processes and systems that organize and govern the universe and its components. If science extends beyond its limitations to attempt to answer questions that are beyond its scope, then the end result will completely contradict science. Those who observe the universe expanding and wish to propose a scientific explanation for the origin of the universe are forced to make a silly assumption that everything started with a “Big Bang,” without any means of testing such a phenomenon or observing it to know with certainty whether it actually happened. Furthermore, the attempt to bring scientific thinking to the level of the ideology and to use it as a basis for solving human problems (what is called “Scientific Ideology”), as the Communists attempted, would result in an ideology incapable of providing any correct foundation of belief that agrees with the human nature and would lead to a system devoid of addressing the human needs, resulting in countless suffering and oppression as a result of treating human beings and human problems and issues as subjects of laboratory experimentation. The correct method arriving at a belief as a foundation for the ideology is through the intellectual method which relies upon the thinking process to arrive at definite, conclusive facts.

    Science cannot be used to build belief or as a basis or thought, nor can it be used as an ideology capable of addressing human problems and human needs because such things, though they are within the realm of sensory perception, cannot be subjected to the scientific method or experimentation. Because the Theory of Evolution is an attempt to build belief based on the scientific method, which science cannot do, then it is invalid from this perspective. However, because of the pervasiveness of Evolution, this fact is not enough for many, and therefore, a more in-depth study of Evolution becomes necessary.

    Evolution Defined

    The Modern Theory of Evolution is believed by many to have had its origins in Charles Darwin, but the concept of Dialectic Evolution existed even before Darwin. Many intellectuals and scientists abandoned the idea of Creationism, more as a negative reaction to the Church during the Middle Ages in Europe than out of sincere conviction, and the idea that life emerged into its great diversity as a result of some kind of evolutionary process was adopted. It was Darwin who was the first to propose an explanation of a mechanism by which such a process was supposed to take place.

    Through both observation as well as through scientific experimentation, one observes the great diversity that exists throughout the living world. At the same time, there exist many similarities that exist between the different shades of life, and these scientifically deduced similarities form the basis of the idea among modern day scientists that life evolved from one another through an evolutionary process and that the different variants of life are related to one another through an “Evolutionary Tree.” Based upon this “Evolutionary Tree,” the scientists correlate the similarities that exist between the living organisms to an evolutionary sequence. Greater similarities between two forms of life would imply a recent evolutionary relationship, whereas a lesser degree of similarity would imply a more distant relationship. However, the central idea remains the same: All life evolved from one another, and the diversity of the living world had its origins from the process of gradual evolution.

    The central concept of the Modern Theory of Evolution is the term natural selection, which Darwin coined as a process by which, through selective pressures imposed by the environment, certain species who are best adapted to live in the environment are selected for by a sorting process of elimination of the weak and continuation of the strong. In summary, the Modern Theory of Evolution is based upon three principles fundamental to it:

    Principle of Variation: Among individuals within any population, there exists variation in all aspects.

    Principle of Heredity: Offspring resemble their parents more than they resemble unrelated individuals.

    Principle of Selection: Some forms are more successful at surviving and reproducing than other forms in a given environment, and these forms are selected for and continue to reproduce, conferring their traits to their offspring. This concept is also termed as “Survival of the fittest,” in which those that are “more fit” are selected for and continue to reproduce whereas those that are “less fit” are gradually eliminated.

    According to this theory, new environmental selection pressures will emerge throughout time, and those organisms that carry the more successful adaptations are selected for and the less successful ones are weeded out along with their traits and characteristics. The new adaptations result from random changes, or mutations, in the genome of the living organism, which confers new physiological, behavioral, and other features. Upon these concepts of random mutation and natural selection rests the Theory of Evolution.

    The Fallacy of Evolution

    In spite of its glamour, the Theory of Evolution cannot be proven definitely because it is based on information of events that cannot be reached either scientifically or rationally. The scientists observe the similarities between organisms, and the question then comes: How did life emerge with its tremendous diversity and yet retain so many similarities between the different shades of life? To answer such a question, one needs to either subject the origins of life and the universe, or what was before the life and the universe, to experimental conditions, or the observer must have existed at the time of the creation and “evolution” of life and the universe to perceive the events. The only other source of information would have to be a credible source. As for subjecting such things to the scientific method, it is beyond the scope of science to subject what preceded life or to confine millions of years of events to experimental conditions. As for observing the process of evolution of life that the scientific community claims to have occurred, one must have lived several million years ago and had several thousand years to observe such events to see what really happened. Because no human being can make such a claim, the only other source of such information regarding the origin of man and life is from a credible source.

    The question that comes is: How do the scientists reach their conclusion that life came about through evolution? The answer is that they do not reach a definite conclusion because they cannot – such events that they claim to have occurred are beyond the senses as well as beyond the process of scientific experimentation, and they have no credible source of information that they can claim to exist, other than what they perceive. Because they cannot perceive what they claim to have occurred, they are forced to make an assumption based on their observation of the similarities that they observe – such as the biochemical, anatomical and molecular similarities – that life evolved from one another through gradual evolution caused by chance mutations in the genomes of living things and through the pressures of natural selection.

    Thus, the Theory of Evolution cannot be taken as a basis for thought or ideas because it is an assumption of an event that happened in the past based upon direct observations. There is no way to prove an assumption conclusively; it is just speculation. Also, if the assumption is incorrect, then everything based upon that assumption is invalid. Speculation and forging guesses on the basis of events that may have happened is an incorrect way to build any belief or thought or idea; it must be built upon definite, conclusive facts arrived at through the rational method based on observations of things within the realm of perception, and not based on speculation on things beyond the perception of the human mind and senses.

    As was discussed before, the scientific method has its limits; it is confined to those things that are tangible and can be subjected to experimental conditions, from which certain conclusions and realities are arrived at. By extending this notion to include events that cannot be subjected to experimental conditions – such as the origins of life, man and the universe – the scientists not only break their own rules, but they are unscientific as possible when they are forced to resort to speculation and making assumptions. As a result, the scientific community, while claiming to have a reputation of civility against the “medieval Creationists,” has become a premier in the art of stupidity when it consigns itself to explain how the universe started with a “Big Bang” or how life originated and evolved into its many variant forms based on a mysterious force called “Mother nature.”

    The justification that Evolution’s proponents use to push their idea is the existence of different traits and attributes within similar organisms that result from genetic mutations and confer certain adaptations. First, they confuse between “Evolution” and adaptation and try to use the existence of one to assume the existence of the other, making another assumption that they both describe the same process, whereas they are different. Evolution is a process by which one life form with unique attributes would change into a totally different life form with its own unique attributes, such as a monkey changing into a human being or a dolphin changing into a snake. Adaptation is a process that occurs within a species by which one individual develops certain characteristics to help it adapt to changes in the environment, but the organism still maintains its unique attributes characteristic of its original species. Adaptation is a process that occurs all the time. For example, human beings who live in certain parts in Africa which receive more sunlight and radiation have darker skin, whereas human beings who live at high elevation have other adaptations, such as increased lung capacity and larger chests. Yet they are still human beings. Also, when the scientists study the fruit fly Drosophila, or strains of yeast and mice, and they confer different traits through genetic mutation or recombinant technology, they are conferring adaptations, yet the Drosophila remain as Drosophila, the yeast remains yeast, and the mice remain mice.

    Such observations of these different characteristics and adaptations cannot be used to assume that the process of evolution in which a mouse would change into a dog or a cat would change into a fox occurs because they are totally different. What Darwin observed was different adaptations of the same bird, and based upon his observation of the process of adaptation he assumed that the diversity of life resulted from a different process which he referred to as evolution through random mutations and natural selection. The question that comes is: Could all the great diversity of life emerge from adaptation alone? Such a process is unlimited in the amount of diversity it can create. Human beings could take literally thousands of different adaptations and characteristics, and they would all be considered human beings.

    Second, they assume that mutations in the gene would result in transforming the life form into a completely different organism. The scientists, through recombinant technology and other techniques, have been able to literally delete ENTIRE GENES and add completely new genes from one life form to another, a process known as transgenics, or the science of transferring genes from one organism to another. For instance, genes from human beings have been introduced into bacteria and mice. This goes far above and beyond the simple point mutations and changes that the scientists claim to have happened throughout the course of time by chance which resulted in a complete overhaul of one organism into another, yet still the mice stay mice, and the bacteria stay as bacteria, even with large segments of their genomes cut out and replaced with human equivalents. Thus, the justification that Evolution’s proponents use to justify their stance has no basis.

    Those who are pushing for Evolution might wish to consider what basis they are standing on before they attempt to push for any solution to humanity’s problems. Evolution is based on the concept of Dialectics, which states that the origin of man, life, and the universe was based on the continuous change and evolution of material, and this basis was the foundation of an ideology that was implemented by a state. The ideology was Communism and its patron state was the Soviet Union, and it is well known that such an ideology was totally devoid of any human quality and failed completely in its ability to deal with human problems, in its ability to address the human being, and in its ability to productively settle the core problem of humanity in a manner agreeing with the rational evidence and with the human nature. Because the Communist ideology was based on Materialism, they claimed that everything could be explained scientifically – including the origins of man, life and the universe, and including human problems and human needs. As a result of trying to implement such an idea, Soviet Communism took the meaning of pain, suffering, and oppression to new levels never witnessed before in human history. There are many things that cannot be subjected to science and explained on the basis of material alone; as a result, Communism was alien to the human being and the human needs, and it was devoid of any solution for human problems or answers to the questions of human existence. Such a failure shows that the doctrine of Dialectic Materialism is incorrect and invalid, and anything based upon this doctrine – including Evolution – is also incorrect. Thus, for those who champion Evolution as a solution to humanity’s questions or pride themselves into thinking that science can be used as an ideology or as a solution to human problems and issues, they should first look to their example in the former Soviet Union and to the miserable track record of Communism and take a lesson before they give one.

    The Islamic Verdict on Evolution

    Because of the influence of the Western educational curriculum, many Muslims have become enchanted with the Theory of Evolution even though it diametrically opposes Islam. In their vain attempts to reconcile between the two, many Muslims are unable to find an answer to the questions that many proponents of Evolution commonly raise. Eventually, the end result is despair and resignation to the idea that the Theory of Evolution is a reality.

    For example, the Evolutionists would continue to point out the immense diversity of life, claiming that their idea explains the richness of living organisms on the earth. Such persons would raise questions such as, “How did all these different animals, plants, and other organisms, come about,” or “Where did all the anatomical, physiological, and biochemical similarities that are universal among all life forms come from,” or “How is it that all the life forms, as different and distinct as they are, are subject to the same laws, constants, and processes?” Without trying to dig deep into details, the Islamic answer is very simple and straightforward: They all came from the same Creator.

    Allah (swt) mentions in many ayahs that He created things in great diversity:

    “With it He causes to grow for you the crops, the olives, the date-palms, the grapes, and every kind of fruit. Verily! In this is indeed an evident proof and a manifest sign for people who give thought.” [TMQ 16:11]

    “And whatsoever He has created for you on this earth of varying colors [and qualities from vegetation and fruits, etc. (botanical life) and from animal (zoological life)]. Verily! In this is a sign for people who remember.” [TMQ 16:13]

    “Allah has created every moving (living) creature from water. Of them are some that creep on their legs, some that walk on two legs, and some that walk on four. Allah creates what He wills. Verily! Allah is Able to do all things.” [TMQ 24:45]

    “See you not that Allah sends down water (rain) from the sky, and We produce therewith fruits of varying colors, and among the mountains are streaks white and red, of varying colors and (others) very black. And of men and Ad-Dawab (moving, living creatures, beasts, etc.), and cattle, in like manner of various colors.” [TMQ 35:27-28]

    Because Allah (swt) created the universe, then the entire universe and everything within it submit to Allah’s Laws. The fact that all the living organisms of the earth share a wide spectrum of physical and chemical similarities only stands as further proof of the fact that they all emanated from the same source. This fact should push the intellectual person towards this realization that all things had their origin from Allah (swt), and the result of sharing the same origin is the many similarities that exist among both the living and the non-living world.

    Evolution and Western Culture

    Many people think that the Theory of Evolution stems purely from science; thus, the assumption that is made is that any attack on the idea of Evolution is a direct assault upon science and the scientific culture itself. Based upon this assumption, Islam would be an anti-scientific way of life because the Islamic viewpoint is diametrically opposed to the Evolutionist viewpoint. The assumption that the Theory of Evolution and Science embody the same entity is false. Science is a tool by which human beings understand the laws and phenomenon that the Creator has made to organize and govern the universe with, while Evolution is an idea that is based upon a specific point of view of life. In fact, the Theory of Evolution is an abnormality which attempts to push science beyond its boundaries into the realm of the ideology, which is something that is beyond the scope of science. The Theory of Evolution, as well as the idea of “Scientific Ideology” which states that science can be used as a basis of thought and a foundation of ideology, came from the Communist ideology and is used by the West in order to push its Capitalist ideology and culture into the minds of the people.

    Throughout the ages, science has been, and still remains, a respected institution, but the West has done a great injustice to science by using it to propagate its ideas and concepts. The West has failed in all aspects to provide solutions to the ever-increasing problems that exist within its societies. Crime, poverty, behavioral abominations such as homosexuality, child molestation, and depression, as well as the deteriorating moral fabric and decaying family structure, are just a few of the long list of problems that characterize the dismal failure of Western Capitalism and its Secular foundation in providing any solution. To conceal this fact from the people that the cause of all of these problems stems from the failure of the ideology and its incorrect foundation, to conceal this reality for fear that the people may begin to question the very foundation of the West and look for an alternative, the West uses the scientific institution to cover its mess. For example, through the concept of Fatalism, the West is claiming that human problems such as homosexuality and criminal behavior are predetermined by the genes and, therefore, are “fated” to be a scientific reality of human beings as well as human societies. Because science is a respected institution, then the people are fooled into adopting this concept as a scientific fact that cannot be disputed or questioned, and that the problems that have resulted from the Capitalist ideology and the incorrect thoughts and ideas are not a result of the incorrectness of Western Capitalism but a fact of life that must be accepted. As a result, the Western culture and ideology is free from questioning, and the motivation to look for an alternative is silenced.

    Similarly, the West uses science through the Theory of Evolution. Because the question of what is before this life is fundamental to the existence of humanity, then human beings will continue to ask this question, and ultimately this question will evolve into the public opinion and in the affairs of life. Because the West is based upon the concept of Secularism, which attempts to detach the question of what is before and after the life from the worldly affairs, then the West would use any means necessary to remove this question as far away from the public opinion in order to safeguard its ideology. Thus, whenever questions such as, “What was before all of this?” or “Who created the universe?” or “Where did we all come from?” are raised, the Theory of Evolution comes with a glamorous explanation that it all happened by chance or by a probability occurrence.

    Such tactics by which the ruling establishment would protect itself by using a respected institution to propagate its ideas and culture is not unique to Western Capitalism. During the Middle Ages, the Church was very much respected by the people, and the clergy used the Church to propagate its ideas and justify its policies, which were merely the opinions of the clergy and had nothing to do with the revelation. Thus, when oppression, poverty, disease, backwardness, and stagnation were characteristic of life in the Middle Ages and the people would attempt to search for the cause of this misery, the papacy promoted the concept of Fatalism by using the Church as a front to propagate the concept that everything was fated by “God’s Will,” in the same manner that the West today uses the scientific institution to promote the same concept that the oppression and misery caused by the dominance of Capitalism are “fated” by the Genetic Code and are scientific facts that must be accepted, even though such problems are unique to the failure of Capitalism and have nothing to do with science. Even today, the rulers and regimes in the Muslim World use Islam, which is more respected among the Muslims than anything else, in order to justify their policies and claim that their actions are “Islamic,” although their policies have nothing to do with Islam.

    Such a method ultimately results in the people rebelling against the institution itself that they once respected. During the Middle Ages, the Church was respected in the eyes of the people. When the clergy used the Church to impose its own point of view, the people eventually rejected the Church, and this resentment escalated to a bitter intellectual revolt against religion altogether which resulted in the birth of Secularism and subsequent removal of the Church from the lives of the people. In the Muslim World, the regimes and rulers who use Islam to justify their existence and their policies have resulted in a feeling of resentment among Muslims towards Islam as a political solution to their problems. Similarly, the scientific institution is respected by all human beings, but the West’s attempt to use science to impose its culture and point of view is resulting in many people rejecting science and scientific culture as something evil and alien to human beings. There is a feeling among many people in the West that scientific advancement will change their lives for the worst and is interfering with their lives. As a result, the West has done a great injustice to science, and the Theory of Evolution has succeeded only in alienating the people from the scientific culture.

    Islam, on the other hand, provides a comprehensive doctrine to the fundamental questions of existence which frees the human mind to pursue science. Islam is the correct doctrine which agrees fully with the rationally-deduced reality that everything in the universe, including the universe itself, has a beginning in its creation by Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta’ala) and it depends upon the Creator for its sustenance. In addition, Islam establishes through decisive facts that the Qur’an is the speech of Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta’ala), which is a conclusive proof that Muhammed (saw) is the Messenger of Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta’ala). Because Islam is the correct creed, then the system which emanates from this creed is correct, and its implementation will organize humanity at all levels and will lead to a progressive society based upon justice. Thus, Islam does not need to hide behind an institution to prove its correctness because Islam is based upon the conclusive facts arrived at through the rational method, and anyone who observes the reality will come to the intellectual realization that the Islamic Aqeedah is correct. In addition, Islam does not need to be glamorized by media hype and sensationalism to make it more attractive to the people because the Islamic system is established upon the correct foundation of belief, which will result in justice and progress in all facets of life a s result of its implementation.

    It was under the Islamic System that the scientific culture reached its zenith, and many of the discoveries that exist today can be attributed to the achievements of those who lived under Islamic rule. Many sciences under Islam were purified from superstitious beliefs and false concepts. For example, astrology and astronomy were very well-known to the Arabs before Islam. Upon the arrival of Islam, astronomy was purified from such corrupt ideas as astrology and made into a pure science. No other ideology has done so much for science that Islam, and it is often stated that Islam made the greatest contribution to science by putting science in its rightful place. By recognizing that science has its limitations, Islam maintains the distinction between the ideology as a basis for providing answers and solutions to human problems and science as a tool that is used to observe the physical universe. In addition, Islam protects science from mixing with the ideology – as the Capitalists and the Communists have done – and maintains the scientific culture as a pure science.

    Reconciling Secularism and Evolution

    The West has used the Theory of Evolution in order to propagate its point of view of life. However, the Theory of Evolution has as its origins the Communist doctrine of Dialectics which denies the existence of the Creator. Because Secularism does not deny the existence of the Creator, then the Theory of Evolution is a thought alien to the Secular doctrine, which forces the West to reconcile Evolution and its Secular doctrine. To do this they rely on the “Ticking Clock” Theory, which states that the Creator created the universe and life and left them to evolve without any intervention. In the same manner that a clock maker manufactures a clock and leaves it to tick on its own, the proponents of Evolution, in order to avoid the label of being Communists, claim that the Creator “set the clock” for the universe to run and evolve, and left the universe to evolve and run on its own like the ticking clock runs on its own without the clock maker.

    Such an argument is pure speculation because those people who claim such an idea have no way of proving the Creator’s plans in the Way He designed the universe. They would either have to claim that they are Messengers of God that the Creator communicated with them and conveyed that information to them, or they would have to prove that the source of this information comes from the Creator. Because they have no proof for either, they must resign themselves to such stupid, idiotic theories that compares the origins of the universe and life to a ticking clock which no one can prove.

    Conclusion

    The Theory of Evolution is incorrect because it is established upon an incorrect basis of “Scientific Ideology” which attempts to use the scientific method as a basis of building belief and a foundation for the ideology. Because science cannot answer such questions as what is before or after life, or what is the origin of man, life and the universe, attempting to use the scientific method for something that science cannot be used for – such as establishing belief – results in speculation and assumption from which definite facts cannot be reached.

    One mistake that the Muslims make is trying to disprove the Theory of Evolution from a scientific perspective. Science cannot be used to either prove or disprove any thought or belief about the origins of man, life, and the universe because the origins of man, life and the universe is beyond the scope of the scientific method. The scientific method can only be used to prove or disprove facts relating to tangible things that can be subjected to the scientific process of experimentation. Neither the origin of man, life, and the universe, nor the question of what is before or after life, can be subjected to experimental conditions and validated or falsified using the scientific method.

    One question that comes: If Evolution is incorrect in its foundation, then why has it become so institutionalized? The answer is the same answer to the question of why Islam, which is correct and has a legacy of thirteen centuries of unparalleled justice and progress under the dominance of Islam, is perceived in such a negative light. It is also the same answer to the question of why concepts like Democracy, Freedom, and International Law – even though they contradict reality and do not exist – are cherished by the people as sacred: Evolution has a system behind it, as does Democracy, Freedom, and all of Western ideology and culture, whereas Islam does not have a system to stand behind it. Because of the support of the Western establishment, which now controls the entire world, the Theory of Evolution is protected and propagated to the world, but the pervasiveness of Evolution does not give it any credibility or validity, in the same manner that the dominance of Capitalism does not change the fact that Capitalism is an incorrect ideology.

    Khalifornia Publications

  • Secularism – The Role of Church in Medieval Europe

    Ever since the decline of the Roman Empire in 3 CE, the Church began gaining more power. The first Christian Roman Emperor (Constantine) combined government of the state with the Church’s affairs. This led to Christianity being implemented as mandatory rule in certain aspects of life (i.e. the rituals involving state delegations, private and public worship, etc.). Around 476 CE, kingdoms began to emerge in Europe. The Monarchs who governed the kingdoms had dealings with the Church which by now had amassed quite considerable wealth and power. As many of these rulers were really puppets placed in position by the Church (they were usually from large wealthy families who were considered to be the Church’s benefactors), their principles/criteria for ruling were also dictated by the Church. However, if we examine the Christianity of the day (or even that of today), we find that it lacks certain systems by which to govern. Where in Islam we may find comprehensive descriptions of the ruling system, the education system, the foreign policy, the economic and the ritual systems, in Christianity we may only find vague and scant references to how these principles should become a way of government. Therefore, the Roman Church had to look elsewhere for its policies, and turned to many of the traditions of the old pagan Roman government.

    Although the papacy ruled directly over only the small regions around Rome, and from time to time over England, Sicily and Jerusalem, it had more political power than any other government in Europe. It was the Church (and therefore the Pope) which was responsible for levying taxes, introducing judicial rulings, and the Pope was believed to be infallible and in direct contact with God. So, the Church used its supremacy over the masses in a barbarous and brutal manner: many women were tortured and killed when the Church declared them to be witches; scientists who disagreed with the teachings of the Church were imprisoned, exiled or executed; the Church appropriated much land and power which was never used for the benefit of society but rather distributed amongst the privileged or else hoarded. Innocent people were exploited with promises of intercession when they died. A great source of income was the sale of the ‘Keys to Heaven’ to a person on his deathbed wanting to be absolved of all his sins; or to wealthy families with many sins on their neck would be convinced that if they commission artists to portray religious propaganda art, they would be forgiven.

    People at the time did not want to speak out against such atrocities for fear of recrimination – such was the fear they had of their ruling body. This form of governing continued till the beginning of the 14th century when huge signs of discontent became apparent. This frustration came about due to the anger of the European thinkers, humiliation of the Crusaders at the hands of the great Muslim State, and because the Church was seen as a total disaster when it came to solving the problems of the people (due to Christianity’s lack of systems).

    The 1500’s brought about much theological debate and controversy in Europe. Each state also saw the Church as a useful tool to gain control of others, make deals, etc. 1618 resulted in much violence and bloodshed over much of Europe. It was the time of the 30 years war after which most kingdoms were left in ruins. A third of Europe’s population died either in battle, plague or malnutrition. France and Spain continued fighting till 1659.

    Then, along came the Reformers to call an end to the violence. They were Martin Luther and John Calvin – Reformers of the Church – and they declared politics as something of an embarrassment, and that one of the main duties of the Christian man was to obey the constituted authority no matter how wicked it may be. The question of man-made rule or divine rule remained unanswered.

    As mentioned earlier, the state turned to Ancient history (i.e. Roman Empire) to fill in the gaps in advocating new laws, but the basis of the teachings of the Roman Empire came from ancient Greek philosophy. This is what the Humanists began to make references to in the late 1500’s, to find solutions to their problems. This led to a split into 2 groups:

    1. Those who studied Greek philosophy and called for ‘Naturalism’, and believed in human beings natural reason in solving all problems.

    2. Those in favor of the Church who advocated ‘Realism’ and the divinity of the teachings of the Church.

    In Italy, these two groups were the Gulfs and the Ghibellines, and they were in constant battle against each other for leadership. The result brought about a victory in secular thought. This new society whose basis was the idea of either abolition of religion altogether (the basis of communism), or the separation of religion from life’s affairs (basis of capitalism). This left the society in obscurity when it came to the meaning and significance of life and the universe, and led to a boom in the philosopher population throughout Europe. Examples of the confusion which this led to may be seen in the teachings of Rene Descartes who said: ‘The reality is different for different people, depending upon the individual’s consciousness, thus leaving belief in God on the individual’s consciousness’; and Immanuel Kant who said: ‘The human mind is responsible for the existence of things as we perceive them’.

    Soon the reign of the Medieval Church came to an end. Europe’s secular institutions began to emerge in the form of a new ideological base (Capitalism). Nations began to think that their citizens were superior to others by race or innate genius and thus began to see themselves as guardians of their national freedom. This led to the idea that geography or climate selected these frontiers, and within men was a natural will to be ‘free’ – to govern themselves and to dominate others. Thus, they would feel superior and more perfect than those of other races. Just as the Germans praised their peoples’ ability to rule others (their monarchy), in England John Fortescue claimed that English free law and constitution was superior to an existing law.

    These new thoughts became popular thought and hence left the Church to withdraw and mold itself to a new set of laws based on the secular states (there were reform groups working within the Church to accomplish this). So now the Church could no longer manipulate the monarchs, it was a tool in the hands of the secular governments to manipulate the people; e.g. the declaration of the Church that secular people who lived faithfully and worked honestly were as good in front of God as the religious people. This was a complete turn around from their threatening gestures made earlier towards anyone who said anything that challenged the Christian doctrine.

    Machiavelli is today considered to be one of the founders of modern-day political thought. He wrote two books: ‘The Discourses on the First Ten Books of Livy’, and ‘The Prince’. His political thought was: “Politics is purely secular. It is the combat of men in search of power. Men are all alike, brutal, and therefore, all selfish politics must follow universal rules which are the same for all men. Therefore, the successful ruler must have studied history, must observe his contemporaries and be willing to exploit their weaknesses”.

    Many modern-day parliamentary systems are based on Machiavelli’s teachings, and many draw upon the example of 1790 – the French Revolution.

    Starting with the reign of Napoleon in France, other Western countries began colonization of the other parts of the world, to export the Capitalist ideology and to gain economically. We still see this exploitation being carried out today, through more effective forms.

    So, if we look at today’s Capitalist society, a politician is very similar to Machiavelli’s ideal politician. The Church no longer rules Europe; her place has been taken over by the corporations and banks. Just as an artist performs for the sake of art and not for the people, a writer writes for the sake of freedom of expression and not for the benefit of society, their intellectuals/thinkers are experts only at making compromises instead of solutions. Their governments are like tools at the hands of the corporate businesses and the wealthy. Each member of this society lives for the sake of their individuality, and not for society. Therefore, to conclude, we must say that Secular/Capitalist thought is built upon the shallow and the reactionary and it is not a rational basis of thinking.

  • The West’s Scientific Obsession

    Science, since the industrial revolution era, has risen to such a stature that today it is the deen of many in the Western world. For many, questions such as creation, God and life can only be accurately studied, concluded and deduced through the scientific method of experimentation and deduction. Western thinkers today use science to explain many problems and issues and only accept conclusions when scientific studies have proved so. Whilst science has existed since the dawn of the world, its reverence as seen in the West is unprecedented.

    Whilst the West’s expansion of science initially began with the application of chemicals, metals and weapons, this today has expanded to human behaviour (psychology), society, (sociology) and then legislation and even thought itself.

    Science against certainty

    The West’s embracement of science and almost fundamentalist defence of it, is due to the historical situation Europe faced. The Christian Church was Fidel – in that religious beliefs must be based on faith rather than the mind. A direct reaction to this was the development of the scientific method, which launched what has come to be known as the Enlightenment in the late 17th Century. The ultimate aim of the Enlightenment was freedom, in particular the liberation of people from the influence of religion. It was widely known that the Church had hindered progress in all fields of life socially, economically and scientifically via the intolerance to inquiry it had imposed upon the continent. The intellectual elite of Europe saw this as backward superstition and hoped their own project would smash the domination of the Church and lead to ‘modernity’. The European scientists and philosophers felt reason was the most central human faculty so they argued to be allowed to exercise it by questioning everything through scientific endeavour. They sought to challenge ideas that were held in a dogmatic manner i.e. were questioning was not allowed. This led them to clash directly with Church leaders and the political establishment who both maintained that some things were absolutely certain, sacred and should not be questioned.

    Whilst modernists were determined to replace emotion with reason the ‘modernist’ trend went further. Anything that was claimed to be certain (i.e. claimed to be divine), had to be confronted and opposed via reason, questioning and scientific enquiry. The commitment to use reason in all cases was hostile to any idea on life that did not originate from the human mind, this included issues from religion. Enlightenment philosophers refused to give anything an amnesty from the debate and called for people to be brave enough to do without ‘belief’.

    Enlightenment philosophers felt being certain was never a possibility. They equated certainty with dogma and felt compelled to fight it. After they won their intellectual clash in Europe, they set about introducing secularism at state level. Secularism is not the absolute denial of religion, as long as religion is prevented from taking part in societal decisions and denied a role in public life. When this was done, the secular liberal democratic nation state had a new model for organising society.

    This gave rise to empiricists such as Locke, Berkeley and Hume They saw Science as the height of knowledge since it never left itself open to dogma. Science challenged everything and never ‘lapsed’ into certainty and absolute truths.

    Hence from this brief timeline we witness the development of an agenda deep within the modernist project that has filtered through to today’s scientific and philosophical establishments; there is a hatred for absolute certainty. The secular fear of certainty does not prize certainty and as a result it asks an unending, ever-increasing list of questions instead.

    The scientific method

    The scientific method in its simplest is a hypothesis followed by the design for an experiment, then through testing and observation a conclusion can be deduced. This also means that subjectivity cannot be completely eliminated e.g. linguists argue that the words with which we set out a scientific project reveal inevitable preconceptions. Also any result is speculative due to the probability of error, this is why ensuring samples are representative was exist to minimise such possibilities. Also it is a requirement for identifying a variable so it can be isolated from other variables, subjected to new conditions and observed.

    The fundamental issue here is that the scientific model cannot be applicable in all times and places, where no single variable can be identified, isolated, manipulated or observed? This would conclusively disprove that the scientific model is capable of answering every query or even that science is the most evolved form of thinking. This would necessarily lead us to conclude that science is a branch of thinking applicable only in certain instances.

    We could ask, for example, how to construct experiments based on the scientific model, was Islamic Spain the most tolerant place on Earth during the 13th Century? To answer this query a single variable that leads to tolerance would have to be identified and scientifically defined. We would then need to be capable of subjecting other societies during the period to laboratory conditions in order to isolate the variable leading to tolerance. A criterion for evaluation, comparison and measurement would be required and the experiment would have to conclude objectively. The scientific model is clearly not built for such types of enquiry.

    Scientific theories or laws are formed through repeated observations to predict some as yet unobserved events. Such a process (of making inferences from the particular to the general) is known as induction. An example is to repeatedly observe that the sun rises and sets daily and to conclude that the sun will rise tomorrow.

    This means that a scientific idea could never be proven true, because no matter how many observations seem to agree with it, it may still be wrong, If it is never possible to infer the course of the future by examining past regularities then the very basis of the scientific method is in doubt.

    The Scientific Question

    It is also important to note that the scientific model is concerned with questions of how things work rather than why. So science would be interested in answering how the universe began, not why the universe began. How does a scientist begin to answer why the universe began? The questions of how and why are completely different but scientists unable to answer why often answer how instead. They then expect it to be sufficient.

    Science can answer how things rust, not why and how we see the colour orange. Take an example of grass. Why is it green not bright blue or deep red? The scientific answer is that chlorophyll absorbs blue and red light while reflecting green. Of course, this is an answer for how but we are expected to accept it as the answer for why as well.

    All of this shows that science has a place and cannot be used to answer every question. The scientific method is fantastic when dealing with technology which must always be challenged. Imagine no entrepreneur ever sought to build safer motorcars since they were certain they had the safest or if attempts to eradicate all known diseases ended in hopelessness and despair. The scientific model provides us with the framework necessary to deal with these and other inconclusive matters. However it has definite limitations that render it incapable of tackling other questions. Science could never answer why we are here why are we here? The scientific model cannot apply in a discussion of “why we exist?”

    Rational Method

    Emotional faith and the scientific model have both been found wanting when answering the greatest question. This is since emotion confirms absolutely nothing and the scientific method does not apply to questions of why things happen, only how and only in instances where the subject matter is tangible, variables can be isolated, manipulated and repeated testing can take place.

    What is needed is an alternative method of thinking. If anyone looks around themselves the images of what you see transfer into your head. Reach out and touch an inanimate object such as a wall, a chair, a desk, a PC, a book. Your senses are transferring impressions into you so you can ponder over them.

    What stages of the process of thought can we determine from this?

    Sensation took place, without which one could not ponder over things. There is also a need for reality as our senses can only be aware of things if they exist in a tangible form. There is definitely some transfer of the sensed reality, as the sensation must get to your mind so you can ‘think’ about the sensed reality. Lastly, there’s a judgement.

    However, something intrinsic is missing from the steps outlined thus far. This is so as sensation alone is not enough to understand a reality. One could sense a new reality forever and still move no closer to comprehension if one had no information on the issue to explain the reality. Both sensation and some degree of information are necessary.

    The following examples should illustrate this. Let us begin within an example of language. If one were to pick up a book in classical (fusHa) Arabic and stare at the letters, word after word, page after page without having some understanding of Arabic (the previous information) it would not matter how much sensation took place. Reading and understanding Arabic would be impossible if one did not have the slightest appreciation of the Arabic language. Sensation alone is not enough.

    Let us imagine one who had never left a primitive village and had absolutely no idea of life outside of the rural sphere. What would a complete newcomer to a big city make of simple things like road double yellow lines, zebra crossings and post boxes using sensation alone (i.e. without having any previous information on them)? Completely alone on the street at night a set of traffic lights could be sensed but would make no sense. The sensation of the sequence (red man, green man for pedestrians and red, amber, green, amber, red for vehicles) would take place but what next? In order to comprehend them the villager would be forced to look elsewhere for information either by asking others or by attempting to collect some information. Observing (sensing) the response of pedestrians and traffic to the lights would provide the information. What happens when the lights go red? Why do some stop and others go? What was the flashing light when a car speeds through a red light? What was that loud, beeping sound from that angry driver?

    Once the information was collected the villager could face the reality (lights go green), sense (see the green light), transfer the sensation to the brain, link it to the information already held (green man means walk as the vehicles are not free to go) and would lead to judgement (the villager would cross the road).

    What about a grown man who had been kept in a cave from birth, had never even seen daylight and only been subjected to the most rudimentary ideas and information on life. He would surely struggle in the cockpit of a Boeing 747 or operating the safety controls of a nuclear power plant as without previous information no thought could take place.

    What is missing from all the examples above is the previous information that explains the reality. Linking this previous information to the sensation is what leads to thinking. Sensation alone is not enough. This is also solves the problematic question of what the mind is. The mind is the previous information. From this, we can now place the five stages of the method of thinking in correct order.

    1. Reality
    2. Sensation of the reality
    3. Transference of the sensed reality to the brain
    4. Linking the sensation with the previous information, this is the mind. The linking is the actual process of thinking leading to thought
    5. Judgement upon the reality

    This is the process we use to think about things. We would not utilise emotion or the scientific model to read a magazine, visit the WC or work out if the car was out of petrol. We would use the five-stage process outlined above and it is necessary to use this rational method to answer the greatest question.

    The rational method is the basis of all thinking, even science. No experiment could be constructed without previous information (e.g. how to operate a bunsen burner, how to read and write etc.). In fact, the rational method can be found directly in many of the social sciences such as sociology and psychology. Science is incapable of testing human behaviour, as it requires tangible matter to experiment on. Social scientists either resort to prescribing Prozac for depression or follow a model of observation. Psychologists and sociologists make multiple observations of subjects over set periods without attempting to scientifically subject them to new conditions. An example of how to do so would be to take the human being out of the natural environment into a controlled environment and attempt to isolate what makes the human behave in certain ways. Periodic observation leading to a conclusion, without any manipulation, is a part of the rational method not the scientific. This coincidentally solves the issue of induction mentioned earlier and proves why we assume the sun will rise tomorrow. Specific elements of the social sciences are also not scientific. Psychoanalysis (studying dreams etc.) fails as a science as its answers can never be verified and depend upon repeated observation.

    The rational method is clearly the natural thinking process at the base of other forms of thought (logical, philosophical, legislative etc.). It is the only method of thought that leads to certain knowledge, definite answers and truth.

    Creation

    When we examine everything within the range of our sensations we come to the following two conclusions:

    1. We cannot sense (see, touch, hear, smell or taste) a Creator

    2. Everything we can sense is dependent on something else and has a limit of some kind that it cannot surpass

    We must be clear on the first point. We cannot sense a Creator. Some would have us believe in aliens or in ‘mother nature’ but this cannot be accepted as we have already denied emotion and blind imitation a role in this endeavour. Others would have us end the discussion here since no Creator can be sensed. Such people cite the phrase ‘seeing is believing’. The predicament with this is that this implies the opposite (i.e. ‘not seeing equals nothing to believe in’). This is blank, vacuous and weak.

    Sensing a Creator is not a prerequisite to prove a Creator exists and never has been. We see many things in our daily lives without knowing who exactly is responsible but the result leads us to believe something definitely was responsible e.g. a sculpture requires a sculptor etc. The material cause of the sculpture would be clay but the efficient cause of the artwork would be the sculptor.

    The proof of a Creator is in whether we can find evidence of creation.

    This can only be proved or disproved by applying rational thought. So far the first conclusion (cannot sense a Creator) is of little help. So any answer will have to come from the second conclusion which is the enlightened view on all we sense i.e. everything is limited and dependent.

    Something is limited if it is contingent and requires something peripheral to it in order to bring it into existence i.e. a cause. It is limited if it depends on something else. Whatever is limited has a dependency somewhere or how. It cannot sustain itself forever and deteriorates accordingly. We can find or deduce either a beginning or end point or both. The space it occupied can be measured. It has boundaries it cannot exceed and obstacles it cannot overcome. It is conditional; unable to prevent itself from being affected and swayed by external factors. It can be contained and is subject to constraints and thresholds. It is limited since its constituent parts are limited as they can be measured. In addition it can produce or reproduce but cannot create something else out of nothing. It can be increased and/or reduced. In short, it is finite since its restrictions are inherent and unavoidable. Such a thing can be marked out as limited.

    We human beings are limited as there are actions we cannot undertake (e.g. we cannot fly), see into the future or escape death. Space, and the entire universe, consists of limited things such as planets, stars and comets which themselves are measurable and we know the sum of limited things must be limited.

    This leaves us with the conclusion that that limited things were bought into existence by an unlimited first cause (Creator). This cause has to be eternal, without bounds otherwise it would be limited and dependent. The Creator is something unlimited and independent that every other thing ultimately depends upon. For this independent force to exist then it must be other than limited, i.e. other than quantifiable and definable. Therefore this independent thing must be unlimited. This necessitates that this unlimited, independent force chose to create and was not forced to create. Choice signifies will and intelligence. As a result we come to the rational conclusion that a limitless, infinite, intelligent force created the universe.

    This is the proof that there is a Creator. Which is can only be proven through the rational method, which is the only method that gives decisive results on creation. Whilst science is a very useful model of thought, its lacks the certainty provided by the rational method.

  • It is not allowed that the Ahkam (rules) change as the time and place change

    This is from the book “Islamic Thought”

    It dominates over the minds of the majority of Muslims nowadays a belief that Islam is flexible; and it adapts with the social, economical and political situations in every time and every place; and that it changes to comply with, in terms of its ahkam (rules), the needs of the recent situations, and with the requirements of what the people, nowadays, liked and used to.

    They support this claim they advocated by a principle (qaa’idah) they describe as legal (shar’i) which says: “There is no obligation that the ahkam (rules) change as the time changes.” Based on that, you find them adjust their conduct with the reality (al-waaq’i) and adapt their behaviour in accordance with what is requires. If you reminded them with the ahkam of the Shar’, they said they (the ahkam) were for a specific time; and Islam obliges men to go along with his time; and to act in accordance with what suits his time and place!! So, they justify the presence of banks based on interest (usury) and the share companies and dealing with them as a practical interest (maslahah). So Islam must be twisted to as to agree on them, for it is flexible as they forge. Women’s show-off their charm, and their mixing with others without a need approved by Shar’, and their entertainment with the foreigner men in the (night) parties; all of these must be permitted and accepted, because they are the time necessities. How then Islam disagrees with the age when the divine principle says: Islam changes as the time and place change? That is what they claim. They also say polygamy has finished as a rule because the time no more finds it pleasant. Similarly amputating the thief ’s hand and stoning the adulterer or lashing him must not be discussed, because they do not suit the taste of our current time. Thus, the principle and its examples proceed so as to be concentrated in the minds of the Muslims. This is at the time they totally disagree with Islam; they rather destroy its principles and details, demolish its legislation and obliterate its features. These ideas appeared only at the end of the nineteenth century, at the time of the worst intellectual decline. Imperialism came later on to nurture this concept till it prevailed in this harsh form.

    Ahkam shar’iyyah in Islam came as systems to treat man in regards the satisfaction of his organic needs and instincts. The Legislator has addressed us with these ahkam in the Kitab and the Sunnah, which are the only source in Islam for deducting the ahkam shar’iyyah. The hukm shar’i is the Legislator’s speech related to the action of men. This hukm shar’i must be proved by evidence (daleel) that it is the speech of the Legislator. In other words, it must be derived from the text, which is the ayah or the hadeeth; or what is proved by the test, such as ijmaa’ us-Sahabah and the qiyas (analogy) based on a divine reason (‘illah sharee’ah). Accordingly, there is only one source for the ahkam shar’iyyah, which is the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Messenger (peace be upon him). From these two sources, the treatments are deduced for solving the problems of people and settling the disputes amongst them. So, are the time and place considered Book or Sunnah? On what basis man is allowed to treat his problems, and the Ummah to organise the relationships of her society, according to the time and place, when Allah Subhanahu wa Ta’ala has obliged that the reality be treated by the ahkam deduced from the Kitab of Allah and the Sunnah of His Messenger (peace be upon him)?

    When the Islamic sharee’ah treats man, it requires studying the reality of his problems, then discovering the hukm of Allah Subhanahu wa Ta’ala on them, by deducing it from the Kitab and the Sunnah, or from what they alluded to. So it is a duty upon every Muslim, when he applies the sharee’ah on the society, to study the society accurately, and then treat it by the Shar’ of Allah Subhanahu wa Ta’ala and change it radically based on the ideology of Islam, without giving any account to the circumstances and situations in disagreeing with the Shar’. So everything that disagrees with Islam must be removed; and everything Islam commanded of must be enforced and put in application. The reality of the society must be restricted with the orders and prohibitions of Allah Subhanahu wa Ta’ala. It is not allowed for Muslims to adjust in accordance with the reality of their time and place. It is rather duty upon them to treat that with the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Messenger.

  • How Muslims Study Islam Today

    This is taken from the book “Way of Thinking” by Hasan Abdullah

    Examining Muslims today shows that the Muslims acquire Islam through three principle methods:

    The Scholastic, or Academic, Method

    This method emphasizes delivering Islam as a curriculum in a scholastic format in which information, and not concepts and thoughts, is the substance. The student-teacher relationship is the approach of this method, and giving instructions constitutes its style. If the student graduates, he will resemble a book that carries information and spits it out, and Islam would consist of nothing more than information dictated to him. Such a person would repeat quotations from scholars and their works without any critical thinking or consideration to the evidences and arguments simply because he cannot do so. His capability would be confined to relaying the information that was handed to him just as a database would download information when programmed to do so.

    Studying Islam in this erroneous method will produce neither a thinker based on Islam nor a mujtahid, but will produce human textbooks whom the extent of their contributions will be limited to copying the works of others and writing some commentaries on them. Such a method could be useful in studying an information-based discipline such as geography or history. However, it cannot be taken as a method of studying the Aqeedah and the thoughts because the Islamic Aqeedah and its thoughts must be acquired intellectually through a dynamic process of relating the thoughts to the situation until they become firmly-rooted thoughts and not just theoretical information carried by the person like the words on the pages of a book.

    The Emotional Method

    The essence of this method entails bringing stories and preaching Islamic personalities. It depends on the emotional approach and not the thinking process in order to push a person to function. Because this approach realizes that emotions by their intrinsic nature can get out of control, it depends on programming the individual in a specific way. The individual who acquires Islam through this method will start learning that discipline and obedience towards the shaykhs and the mas’ooleen is a part of Islam.

    This method is, relatively speaking, a new method because it was influenced by the psychological based sciences that came with disciplines such as psychology, sociology, and education. This approach does not regard man, life and the universe as the subject of thinking and research but instead places the human psyche and its development as the ultimate objective. The scope of thinking and research remains restricted to the psyche of the individual through promoting its positive aspects and treating its negative aspects. Also, it connects such individuals with the mas’ooleen and the shaykhs emotionally in the same manner that a person is connected with his father or therapist. As a result, those who acquired Islam in this way are attached to certain personalities whom they regard as holy and follow as examples without any thinking.

    Such a method does not produce intellectuals, thinkers, or mujtahids, nor does it claim to produce them. It could be used in dealing with the young children or with those who do not think and therefore look forward to those who would think on their behalf and relieve them of the burden of thinking. This approach could also apply to those who do not think and are seeking a group of people to associate with in order to enjoy the social environment and activities that this group or tribe provides them, such as friendship, visits, and collective activities involving ibadat, trips, and sports. Therefore, this method cannot initiate the revival of the Ummah, nor can it provide the Ummah with the thought and the awareness needed for such a revival.

    The Sufi Method

    This approach is influenced by the notion that the human being consists of two components – the spirit and the material aspect – that are mutually antagonistic. Thus, the human being has a spiritual momentum that must be elevated, and the only way to do so is to deprive the body of its physical needs. This process continues until the person attains a level where he merges with God and he sees God in himself. From the vantage point of this method, Islam and its rules as mere signs and symbols guiding the person in his path towards God. The value of these rules and symbols lay in comprehending their concealed or hidden meanings, what the Sufis call the “Haqiqah” or the reality. This “Haqiqah” is distinct from what they refer to as the apparent meaning, which they use to denote the Shariah.

    Sufism upholds the idea of Fatalism in which everything is predestined and man has no will of his own. Thus, the Sufis claim that a person must surrender to his situation and cannot change it. Furthermore, Sufism encourages the human being to live in seclusion and give the natural phenomena in the universe a metaphysical interpretation. The Sufis also encourage passiveness, total surrender to the reality, and being careless about the reality because, according to their claim, these qualities characterize the one who suppresses himself, his desires, and his physical inclinations. These qualities are needed for the one who wants to conceal his mind because they constitute the first step towards evanescence and merging into God’s entity.

    Some people who either failed in the life or who just look to the Deen as an escape from the current situation may use this approach as an outlet of contentment or solace. This is an extremely dangerous approach because it kills the awareness and the thinking in the Ummah and propagates passiveness and total surrender to the status quo without any attempt to change it.

  • Socialism and Communism

    This is taken from the book “Our Philosophy” by Bakir al-Sadr

    There are many schools of socialism. The best-known of these is chat which teats on Marxist theory, or dialectical materialism, which expresses a specific philosophy of life and a materialistic understanding of it along dialectical lines. Dialectical materialists have applied this theory to history, society and economics; and thus, it became a philosophical doctrine concerning the world, a method for studying history and society, a school of economics and a plan in politics. In other words, it shapes the entirety of humankind into a specific mold, according to the kind of thinking they have, their outlook on life and their practical actions. There is no doubt that the materialistic philosophy, as well as the dialectical method, are not the creation and innovation of the Marxist school. The materialistic tendency existed in philosophical circles thousands of years ago, revealed at times, while concealed ac other times behind sophistry and absolute denial. Similarly, some points of the dialectical method of thinking have deep roots in human thought. All its points were formulated at the hands of Hegel, the well-known idealist philosopher. After that, Karl Marx adopted this [dialectical] method and chat [materialistic] philosophy. He tried to apply them to all fields of life, and achieved two things. First, by the dialectical method, he explained history from a purely materialistic perspective. Second, he claimed to have discovered the contradictions of capitalism and the surplus value that the possessor of money steals from his employees in accordance with his doctrine.

    On the basis of these two achievements, Marx based his faith on the necessity of abolishing the capitalistic system and erecting, instead, the communistic and the socialistic societies which he considered as humankind’s [first] step toward a full implementation of communism.

    In this philosophy, the social field is one of struggle among contradictions. Every social situation that pervades this field is a purely material phenomenon concordant with the rest of the material phenomena and circumstances, and influenced by them. However, at the same time, this social situation caries its own contradiction within itself. Then struggle erupts among the contradictions within its contents, until the contradictions accumulate and create a change in this situation and the construction of a new situation. Thus, the battle continues, until all people become of one class, and the interests of every individual become represented in the interests of this unified class.

    At that point, harmony prevails, peace is realized, and all the bad effects of the capitalistic democratic system are removed, because such effects were produced by the existence of multiple classes in society. This multiplicity of classes was, in turn, produced by society’s division into producer and employee. Therefore, it is necessary to put an end to this division by means of terminating ownership.

    In this respect, communism differs from socialism in some of its principal economic ideas. The communist economy is based on the following. First, private ownership must be canceled and fully obliterated from society. All wealth must be appropriated by everyone and handled by the state, since it is the legal trustee over society, so that the state manages and exploits this wealth for the welfare of the whole population. The belief of the communistic school in the necessity of this absolute nationalization was a natural reaction to the complications of private ownership in the capitalistic democratic system. Such nationalization was justified on the ground that its purpose was the cancellation of the capitalistic class and the uniting of people in one class, in order than to end the struggle, and to prevent the individual from employing the various tactics and methods for enlarging his wealth, in an attempt to satisfy his greed and appease the motive that drives him after personal benefit.

    Second, goods produced must be distributed in accordance with the individual need for consumption. This point is summarized in the following text: ‘from everyone, in accordance with his capacity, and for everyone, in accordance with his needs’. This is to say that every individual has natural needs deprived of which he cannot survive. He devotes all his efforts to society; in return, society satisfies the necessities of his life and supports his living.

    Third, this must be carried out on the basis of an economic plan put forth by the state. In this plan, the state reconciles the needs of the whole population with the quantity, variety and limit of production, in order to prevent afflicting society with the same illnesses and difficulties that occurred in the capitalistic society when absolute freedom was allowed.

    Deviation from the Communist Operation

    The leading authorities of communism who called for this system were unable to implement it with all its features when they seized power. They believed that, in order to implement this system, a development of human thought, motives and inclinations was necessary. They claimed that there would come a time when personal interests and individual considerations would disappear from the human soul, replaced by a social mentality and social inclinations. With that, a human being would think only of the social welfare, and would be motivated only for its sake. Because of this, it was necessary, according to the tradition of this social doctrine, to establish prior to that a socialistic system in which people could rid themselves of their present nature and acquire the nature which is consistent with the communistic system.

    In this socialistic system, important revisions of the economic aspect of communism were made.

    Thus, the primary point of the communist economy – namely, the annulment of private ownership – was changed to a more moderate stand. This stand called for the nationalization of heavy industry, foreign trade, and large domestic trade, as well as the imposition of government restrictions on all of them. In other words, it called for the elimination of large capital to help the advance of simple industries and trades, and to give individuals power over these industries and trades. This is because the main point of the communist economy clashed with actual human nature to which we have alluded earlier. Individuals began to neglect performing their jobs and activities at work. They also avoided fulfilling their social duties. This was due to the fact that [under this system, they were only] supposed to secure an orderly life and a satisfaction of their needs. Also, under this system, one was not supposed to perform any work or make any effort for more than this, regardless of its intensity. Why then should the individual make any effort, work hard and earnestly, as long as the result for him is the same whether he is lazy or active? Further, why should he be motivated to make happiness available to others, and to bring comfort to them by his own sweat and tears and by the sap of his life and capacities, as long as he does not believe in any values of life except in those that are purely materialistic? Thus, the leaders of this school felt obliged to freeze absolute nationalization.

    They were also obliged to amend the second important point of communist economics. They did this by creating differences among salaries, in order to motivate the employees to become active and to carry out their jobs – apologizing at the same time that these were temporary differences which would disappear when the capitalistic mentality was abolished and when humankind undergoes further development. Due to this, they applied continual change, in accordance with their economic methods and socialistic tactics, so that they could avoid the failure of any one method by introducing a new method. However, until now, they have not successfully eradicated all the basic principles of the capitalistic economy. Usurious loans, for example, have not been completely eliminated, even though in reality they are the basis of social corruption in the capitalistic economy.

    But none of this means chat those leaders were failures or that they were not serious about their teachings or sincere about their doctrine. Rather, it means that they clashed with reality when they came to apply [their ideas]. They found their way full of the contradictory elements that human nature imposes in the face of the revolutionary method of social reform that they preached. Thus, reality forced them to retreat with the hope that the miracle would be accomplished in some near or distant future.

    Politically, communism, in the long run, aims to eliminate the state from society when the miracle is accomplished and the social mentality prevails among all people. At that point, everyone will think only of the material interests of the whole society. But before that, when the miracle is not yet accomplished, when people are not yet united in one class and when society is still divided into capitalistic and labor forces, the government must be purely chat of the labor force. This would be a democratic government within the limit of the labor circles, and dictatorial with regard to the general public.

    They tried to justify this by claiming that a dictatorial labor government was necessary at every stage experienced by humankind with the individual mentality. This is so, for the protection of the interests of the labor class, for the stifling of the breath of capitalism and for the prevention of capitalism from reappearing on the scene.

    In fact, this school, which is represented in socialistic Marxism and then in communistic Marxism, is distinguished from the capitalistic democratic system in that it is based on a specific materialistic philosophy which adopts a specific understanding of life that does not admit any of the moral ideals or values of life. It also explains life in a way that leaves no room for a creator beyond the limits of nature, nor for expected retributions beyond the boundaries of the limited material life. This is contrary to capitalistic democracy which, even though a materialistic system, is not established on a definite philosophical basis. Materialistic communism believes in proper linkage between the issue of actual life and the social issue, but capitalistic democracy does not believe in such a linkage, or does not attempt to make it clear.

    Thus, the communistic school was in reality the outcome of philosophical study. It was tested by experiencing the philosophy on which it was based, and from which it branched out. Judgement of any system depends on the extent of the success of that system’s philosophical notions in understanding and portraying life.

    From the first glance one casts on the communistic system, it is easy to notice that, whether this system is diluted or complete, its general characteristic is to destroy the 0individual in society and make him an instrument to be manipulated for the purpose of 0realizing the general standards that this system presupposes. Therefore, it is exactly the opposite of the free capitalistic system that considers society for the sake of the individual and subjugates it to his interests. It is as if the individual personality and the social personality were destined in the traditions of these two systems to clash and to struggle against each other. The individual personality was the winner in the system whose legislation was based on the individual and his specific benefits. Thus, society was afflicted by economic tragedies that shook its existence and malformed the life of all its people.

    The social personality was the winner in the other system, which tried to avoid the errors of the former system. Thus, it supported society, and sentenced the individual personality to disappearance and death. As a result of this, individuals were exposed to severe ordeals that abolished their freedom, their personal existence, as well as their natural rights to choice and thinking.

    Flaws of Communism

    In fact, even if the communistic system treats a number of the maladies of the free capitalistic system by means of abolishing private ownership, yet in one respect, this treatment has natural complications that render the price of treatment much too high.

    This is in addition to difficulties that one encounters in the method of applying this treatment. One cannot employ this method, unless all other methods and procedures fail. In another respect, this treatment is incomplete and does not ensure the end of all social corruption. This is so because it is not accompanied by a correct diagnosis of the illness and the specification of the point from which evil proceeded and conquered the world under the capitalistic system. That point continued in the communistic school to retain its position with regard to social life. With this, humankind did not win a decisive solution for their big problem, nor did they obtain the remedy that heals their fits of illness and uproots their bad symptoms.

    The complications of this treatment are enormous indeed. Its concern is to terminate individual freedom, in order to establish communist ownership in place of private ownership. But this enormous social transformation is, at least until now, contrary to general human nature – as admitted by its leaders – since the materialistic human being still thinks in terms of himself and considers his interests from his limited individual perspective. Further, to put forth and try to fulfill a new design for society in which individuals completely melt away and personal motives are totally eradicated requires a firm power that holds the reins of society with an iron hand. Moreover, this power quiets any voice that grows loud, stifles any breath of freedom that circulates in society, monopolizes all the means of propaganda and publicity, imposes limits on the nation that the nation cannot exceed under any circumstances and punishes on the ground of accusation and speculation, so that it does not suddenly lose its grip on the reins of power. This is natural in any system one seeks to impose on a nation, before the mentality of that system matures in that nation, and before the spirit of that system prevails.

    Indeed, if the materialistic human being begins to think in a social manner, to consider his interests with a social mentality and to be free of all personal sentiments, private inclinations and psychological effects, is would be possible to erect a system in which individuals melt away. With that, nothing would remain at the scene except the huge social giant. But the realization of this in a materialistic human being who does not believe in anything except in a limited life, and who does not perceive any sense of life except chat of material pleasure requires a miracle that creates heaven in the present life and brings it down from the highest to earth. The communists promise us this heaven.

    They await that day in which the factory will put an end to human nature, recreate ideal humankind in thinking and acting even though they do not believe in any idealistic and moral values. If this miracle is realized, we will then have some words for them.

    For the time being, to put forth the social design that they seek requires confining individuals to the limits of the idea of this design and ensuring its execution by setting the group that believes in it in charge of protecting it and by taking precautionary measures for its sake, through silencing human nature and psychological effects and using any means to prevent them from bursting forth. Under this system, even if the individual acquires full insurance and social security for his life and needs because the social wealth supplies him with all of this at the time of need, nevertheless, it would be better for him to obtain this insurance without losing the breath of righteous freedom, without melting away in fire as a person, and without drowning in a stormy social sea.

    How could a human being aspire to freedom in any field when he is deprived of the freedom of his life, and when his nourishment is fully linked to a specific organization – considering that economic freedom, as well as freedom of life, are the basis of all kinds of freedom?

    The defenders of this system apologize while asking: ‘What would a human being do with freedom, with the right to be critical and to express his views, when he suffers from an abominable social burden? Again, what benefit would he derive from debate and opposition, when he is more in need of good nourishment and a secured life than of the protests and clamor with which freedom provides him?’

    Those who put forth such questions do not pay attention to anything other than capitalistic democracy, as if it were the only social cause which rivals theirs on the battleground. Thus, they diminish the value and rights of individual dignity, because they see in it a danger for the general social trend. However, it is the right of humankind not to sacrifice any of their essentials or rights as long as it is not necessary for them to do so. Humans had to choose between dignity, which is one of their moral rights, and satisfaction of need, which is one of their material rights. Thus, they lacked the system that combines both sides and succeeds in resolving both issues.

    A human being whose capacities are the objects of extortion by others and who does not enjoy a comfortable life, a fair salary, and security in times of need is one who is deprived of the delights of life and has no access to peaceful and stable living. Similarly, a human being who lives continuously under threat, who is judged on any movement he makes, who is exposed to detention without a hearing and to imprisonment, who is exiled or executed for the slightest mistake he commits is indeed scared and alarmed. Fear steals away his good life and alarm disturbs its pleasures.

    The third type of human being, who enjoys a tranquil life and is confident of his dignity and safety, is the pleasant dream of humankind. But how can this dream be realized, and when will is become an actual reality?

    We have stated above that the communist treatment of the social issue is incomplete, in addition to having the complications to which we have already alluded. Even though it represents human sentiments and emotions that were stirred up by the general social tyranny – thus attracting a group of thinkers to the new solution – nevertheless, these thinkers did not grasp the cause of corruption so that they could eliminate it. Rather, they eliminated something else. Therefore, they were not successful in their treatment and in achieving a cure.

    The principle of private ownership is not the cause of the absolute evils of capitalism that shook the happiness and peace of the world. It is not, for example, what imposes unemployment on millions of workers, in order to utilize a new machine that will destroy their industries. This is what happened at the dawn of the Industrial Revolution. Again, the principle of private ownership does not impose a despotic control over the salaries of employees with disregard for their efforts. Further, it does not require the capitalist to damage large quantities of his products for the protection of the price of commodities and the preference for squandering these commodities instead [of using them] to satisfy the needs of the poor. Further still, it does not call upon the capitalise to turn his wealth into profitable capital, multiplying it through interest and through the absorption of the efforts of those who are in debt, and not through producing or working. Moreover, the principle of private ownership does not drive the capitalist to purchase all the consumer’s goods from the markets, so that he can monopolize them and then raise their prices. Finally, this principle does not require that the capitalist open up new markets that may infringe upon, or abolish, the freedom, rights and honor of nations.

    None of these fearful tragedies was the result of private ownership. Rather, they were the product of personal, materialistic interest that was made the standard of life in the capitalistic system and the absolute justification of all managements and dealings. A society based on such an individualistic standard and personal justification cannot be expected to do other than what it actually did. It is from the nature of such a standard that those evils and afflictions proceed to fall upon mankind as a whole, rather than from the principle of private ownership. If such a standard is changed, and a new, rectified objective of life in accord with human nature is put forth, the real treatment of the big problem of mankind will have been accomplished.

    The Correct Explanation of the Problem

    In order for us to reach the first part of the explanation of the social problem, we must inquire about the personal, materialistic interest that the capitalistic system established as a criterion, as a justification and as an objective. Thus, we ask: ‘What was the idea chat validated this criterion in the capitalistic mentality, and what was the source of its inspiration?’ For it is this idea which is the real basis of the social afflictions and failure of the capitalistic democracy to achieve human happiness and dignity. If we are able to kill this idea, we will put an end to all conspiracies against social comfort, and to the unions against the rights and real freedom of society. We will also succeed in exploiting private ownership for the sake of the welfare and development of mankind and for their progress in the industrial fields and areas of production. What then is this idea?

    This idea can be summarized in the limited materialistic explanation of life on which the West erected the powerful edifice of capitalism. If every individual in society believes that his only field in this great existence is his personal material life, if he also asserts his freedom of managing and exploiting this life and in his inability to achieve any purpose in this life other than pleasure which is made available to him by material factors; further, if he adds these materialistic beliefs to self-love which is intrinsic to his nature, then he will follow the same path trodden by the capitalists, and will fully carry out their procedures, unless he is deprived of his freedom by an overwhelming power and barred from selecting this path.

    Self-love is the most general and the oldest instinct we know; for all other instincts, including the instinct for life, are branches and subdivisions of this instinct. The selflove that human beings have – by which is meant their love of pleasure and happiness for themselves, and their hatred of pain and misery for themselves – is what drives them to earn their living and to satisfy their nutritional and material needs. That is why a human being may put an end to his life by committing suicide if he finds that bearing the pains of death is easier for him than bearing the pains with which his life is full.

    Therefore, the true, natural reality that is concealed behind all human life and chat directs life with its own hand is self-love, which we express by our yearning for pleasure and hatred for pain. It is not possible for a human being to carry freely the burden of the bitterness of pain and forgo any pleasures just so that others may have pleasure and comfort, unless his human nature is stripped away from him and he is given a new nature that does not yearn for pleasure and detest pain.

    Even the wonderful forms of love which we witness in human beings and about which we hear in their history are in reality subjugated to that principal moving force – the instinct of self-love. A human being may love his child or friend over himself, as he may make sacrifices for the sake of some ideals or values. However, he would not perform any of these heroic acts, if he did not derive from them a specific pleasure and a benefit that outweighed the loss resulting from his love for his child or friend, or from his sacrifice for the sake of some of the ideals in which he believed.

    Thus, we can explain human behavior in general, [as being well-grounded in] the areas of selfishness and [self]-love alike. In human beings, there are many propensities for taking pleasure in a variety of things, such as taking pleasure in material things exemplified in food, drink, the various kinds of sexual pleasures, and similar material pleasures. Other examples of similar pleasures are those of the soul, such as moral and emotional pleasures in moral values, in a spiritual companion or in a specific doctrine.

    These pleasures are felt when human beings find that those values, that companion, or that doctrine are a part of their specific existence. Such propensities that prepare human beings for enjoying those various delights differ in degree from one individual to the other. They also vary in the extent of their effectiveness, in accordance with the difference in human circumstances and in the natural and educational factors that affect people. While we find that some of those propensities mature in human beings naturally – as does their propensity for sexual pleasure, for example – we find, at the same time, that other forms of propensities may never appear in people’s lives. Rather, they await the educational factors that help their maturation and blossoming.

    The instinct of self-love, working behind all these propensities, determines human behavior in accordance with the extent of the maturity of those propensities. Thus, it drives a human being to give himself exclusive access to food when somebody else is hungry. And it is the same propensity that drives another human being to deprive himself of food in order to give someone else exclusive access to it. This is because the propensity of the former for taking pleasure in the moral and emotional values that drives him to this love was latent. The educational factors which help this propensity focus and grow were not open to him. The latter, on the other hand, has acquired this kind of education. Thus, he takes pleasure in the moral and emotional values, and sacrifices the rest of his pleasures for their sake.

    Whenever we wish to create any change in human behavior, we must first change the human notion of pleasure and benefit, and then place the behavior desired in the general frame of the instinct of self-love.

    If the instinct of self-love occupies in the present life of humankind the position [already mentioned], if the self, according to the view of people, is an expression of a limited material power, and if pleasure is an expression of the delights and joys that matter makes available, then it is natural for people to feel that their opportunity for profit is limited, and that the race for their goal is short, and that their goal in this race is to acquire a certain amount of material pleasure. Further, the way to this acquisition is, as a matter of fact, confined to the nerve of the material life – that is, to money – which opens the way for human beings to realize all their objectives and desires. This is the natural succession in the materialistic notions which leads to a complete capitalistic mentality.

    Now, do you think that the problem can be decisively solved if we reject the principle of private ownership and retain these materialistic notions of life, as did those thinkers? Again, is it possible for society to be delivered from the tragedy of such notions and to attain secure happiness and stability by the mere elimination of private ownership? Take into consideration that securing its happiness and stability depends, to a great extent, on securing the non-deviation of those personalities in charge of carrying out their reformative programs and objectives in the fields of work and execution. Those who are in such positions are supposed to uphold the same purely materialistic notions of life on which capitalism was established. The difference, though, [between them and the capitalists] is chat they laid these notions in new philosophical molds. [In accordance with their teachings], it is reasonable to assume that quite often personal interest stands in the way of social interest, and that the individual fluctuates between a loss and a pain which he bears for the sake of others, and a profit and a pleasure which he enjoys at the expense of others. What security would you estimate there is for the nation and its rights, for the doctrine and its objectives, under such trying times as the rulers face? Personal interest is not represented in private ownership only, so that the cancellation of the principle of private ownership would destroy our above-mentioned assumption. Rather, personal interest is represented in [various] procedures, and takes on different forms. The evidence for this can be seen in the revelations made by the present communist leaders concerning acts of treason committed by earlier rulers and the consolidation of these earlier rulers around the objectives they had adopted.

    The capitalistic group controls the wealth [of the nation], under the auspices of economic and individual freedom, and manages this wealth with its own materialistic mentality. [Similarly], when the state nationalizes the whole wealth and eliminates private ownership, the wealth of the nation is handed to the same state organization which consists of a group adopting the same materialistic notions of life and imposing on people the priority of personal interests, by virtue of the judgement of the instinct of self-love which denounces a human being’s renunciation of personal pleasure or interest without any compensation. As long as the material interest is the power in control due to the materialistic notions of life, it will ignite once again the battleground of struggle and competition, and expose society to various kinds of danger and exploitation. Thus, all the danger for mankind lies in these materialistic notions and in the standards of goals and actions that proceed from these notions. Unifying the capitalistic wealth, be it small or large, into one large unit of wealth whose management is handed to the state – without any new development of the human mentality -does not alleviate this danger. Rather, it makes all people employees of one and the same company, and ties their lives and dignity to the directors and owners of that company.

    Admittedly, this company differs from the capitalistic company in that the owners of the latter are those who own its profits, and spend them in any manner dictated by their desires. The owners of the former company, on the other hand, do not own any of this, according to the teachings of the system. However, the fields of personal interest are still open to them, and the materialistic notion of life, which posits this interest as a goal and as a justification, is still upheld by them.

  • Capitalistic Democracy

    This is taken from the book “Our Philosophy” by Bakir al-Sadr

    Let us begin with the capitalistic democratic system. Thin system puts an end to a kind of injustice in economic life, to dictatorial rule in political life, and to the stagnation of the church and its ideational life. Capitalistic democracy tightened the reins of power and influence for a new group of rulers that replaced earlier ones, and adopted the same social role played by their predecessors, but used a new style.

    Capitalistic democracy is based on unlimited confidence in the individual, and in the fact that the individual’s personal interests naturally ensure the interests of society in various areas. The idea of such a state is that it seeks to protect the individuals and their personal interests. Therefore, it is not permissible for it to go beyond the limits of this purpose in its activities and in the fields of its operations. The capitalistic democratic system can be summed up in the declaration of the four types of freedom: political freedom, economic freedom, ideational freedom and individual freedom.

    Political freedom dictates that the words of every individual be heard, and that his evaluation of the general life of the nation be respected, [as in] laying down the nation’s plans in its legislation6, and in assigning the powers entrusted with its defense. This is because the social system of a nation and its ruling organization is a maser directly related to the life of every one of its individuals and has a great influence on his happiness or misery. It is, therefore, natural that every individual has the right to participate in constructing the system and government.

    If the social condition is, as we have already stated, a matter of life and death and a matter of happiness and misery for the citizens to whom the laws and general systems are applied, it is then also natural not to evolve its responsibility upon an individual or a specific group of individuals, regardless of circumstance, as long as there is no individual above emotions and errors because of his unblemished intentions and his weighty mind.

    It is necessary, therefore, to advocate complete equality of political rights among all citizens; for all citizens are equally subject to the effects of social conditions, and equally submit to the requirements of legal and executive powers. It is on the basis of this [equality] that the right to vote and the principle of a general election were established. These ensure that the ruling organization, in all its powers and members, comes from the majority of citizens.

    Economic freedom relies on confidence in a free economy, and is determined to open all channels [of opportunity] and to prepare all fields. In the economic field the citizen is permitted ownership of both consumption and production. This productive ownership, from which capital is formed, is available to all people equally, without limitation or restriction, and to all of them equally. Thus, every individual has the full freedom to pursue any approach and to take up any path for acquiring, enlarging and multiplying his wealth in accordance with his personal interests and benefits.

    Some of the defenders of this kind of economic freedom make the following claims. Firstly, the laws of political economy that are naturally concordant with general principles insure the happiness of society and the retention of its economic balance. Secondly, personal interest, which is a strong incentive and a real goal of the individual in his work and activity, is the best insurance of the general social welfare. Thirdly, the competition that takes place in the free market as a result of producers and merchants exercising their equal right to economic freedom is alone sufficient for realizing the spirit of justice and fairness in the various contracts and deals. Thus, natural economic laws almost mechanically intervene – for example, to conserve the normal price level. That is, if the price becomes higher than its normal and just limits, the demand falls, in accordance with the natural law that dictates that a rise in price affects the fall in demand, and that the fall in demand leads, in rum, to a lowering of the price, in order that another natural law is satisfied. The fall in demand persists in this fashion, until it brings the price down to its previous level. With this, deviation is eliminated [in the long run].

    Personal interest always requires the individual to think of ways to increase and improve production, while decreasing its cost and expenses. This fulfills the interest of society, when at the same time it is also considered something proper to the individual.

    Competition naturally requires the fixing of the prices of goods and the salaries of employees and service personnel justly, and free from wrongdoing and prejudice. For every salesman or producer is weary of raising the price of his goods or lowering the salaries of his employees, because others, including salesmen and producers are competing against him.

    Ideational freedom dictates that people must have a life of ideological and doctrinal freedom. That is, they must be able to think in any manner that they see fit and that appeals to their intellects; and uphold whatever [views] they have arrived at as a result of their own efforts or the inspiration of their desires and inclinations, without being hampered by the government. It also dictates the freedom of expressing one’s thoughts and doctrines and of defending one’s points of view and interpretations.

    Individual freedom expresses the liberation of the personal conduct of a human being from various kinds of pressures and limitations. Thus, he has control over his will and its development in accordance with his own desires, regardless of the complications and consequences that may occur as a result of his exercise of this power over his personal conduct, as long as his power does not conflict with others’ powers over their conduct.

    Hence, the final limit on the individual freedom of everyone is the freedom of others. Thus, unless the individual misuses this kind of freedom, he will not be harmed by living in any manner he pleases, and pursuing the various habits, traditions, slogans and rituals that he seeks to enjoy, because it is a matter of his existence, his present and his future. As long as he has this existence, he has the power to manage it as he wishes.

    Religious freedom in the opinion of capitalism that calls for it is nothing but an expression of ideational freedom in its doctrinal form, and of the individual freedom in the practical form, that is related to slogans and conduct.

    One can conclude from this exposition that a major ideological point in this system is that, as mentioned, the interests of society are embodied in the interests of individuals. Thus, the individual is the basis on which the social system must be established. The good state is that organization that can be used for the service and for the sake of the individual, and that is a strong instrument for preserving and protecting his interests.

    These are the basic principles of capitalistic democracy due to which a number of revolutions have occurred, and for whose sake many people and nations struggled under leaders who, whenever they spoke of this new system and enumerated its advantages, it was [as though] they described the heavens with its paradise and its happiness, as well as the liberty, well-being, dignity and richness that it promises.

    Later on, a number of amendments were added to this kind of democracy, but they did not affect its innermost substance. Rather, it continued with its most important principles and fundamentals.

    The Materialistic Tendency in Capitalism

    It is clear that this social system is a purely materialistic system that people adopted, separating themselves from their source and final end, and limiting themselves to the beneficial side of their material life. People adopted [this system] along these lines.

    But this system, which was at the same time full of a tyrannical materialistic spirit, was not established on a materialistic philosophy of life and a detailed study of it. Life in the social atmosphere of this system was separated from any relation external to the limits of material things and benefits. However, setting up this system did not assume a complete philosophical comprehension of this process of separation. I do not mean by this that the world did not have schools of the materialistic philosophy and defenders of it. Indeed, an advent of the materialistic tendency resulted from the influence of the empirical mentality that had prevailed ever since the Industrial Revolution. Its prevalence was due firstly to the intellectual spirit of doubt and confusion that was caused by the change in opinion concerning a number of notions chat were considered among the clearest and most sound truths; and secondly the spirit of rebellion and anger against the alleged religion that caused thoughts and intellects to stagnate, appealed to wrongdoing and power, and supported social corruption in every battle is waged against the weak and the persecuted.

    These three factors helped materialism arise in many Western mentalities. All of this is true, but the capitalistic system does not center on a materialistic philosophical notion of life. This is a contradiction and a failure; for the social consideration of life is linked to the reality of life, and is not case in a sound form unless it is established on a central basis that explicates life, its reality and its limits. The capitalistic system lacks this basis. It involves in its innermost spirit deceit and misguidance, speed and impatience, since it freezes the actual situation of life, and studies the social conditions in isolation from it. This is so, in spite of the fact that the essence of the ideological standard for the

    system [was] from the very beginning defined by its view of the reality of life that supplies society with social material – this being the relations exchanged among people – of the method of its understanding this reality, and of discovering its secrets and values. Thus, if humankind existed on this planet due to the skill of a governing and protective power who knew of their secrets and mysterious affairs, their expressions and details of their lives, and took charge of organizing and guiding them, it is then natural that in orientation and style of living, they would submit to this creative power, since it is more discerning of their affairs, more knowledgeable of their reality and with loftier intentions, and is more moderate than they are.

    Further, if this limited life is the beginning of an attempt to reach an eternal life that proceeds from this present one, is colored by its style, and has standards that depend on the degree of moderation and loftiness shown in this life, then it is natural to organize the present life in a way [befitting] to the initial stage of a life free from destruction, and to establish it on both spiritual and material principles.

    Hence, the issue of faith in God and life’s origin in Him is not a purely intellectual issue unrelated to life and isolated from the fields of life, nor is it something for which separate methods and rules must be enacted, while ignoring and setting aside the issue of life. Rather, it is an issue related to the mind, to the heart and to life together.

    Capitalistic democracy itself offers evidence for the relation of faith to life in the idea that this system is presented on faith in the absence of an individual or a group of individuals who have attained a certain degree of infallibility with respect to their intentions, inclinations, opinions and interpretations that makes it possible to entrust them with the social affairs [of the people] and to rely on them for establishing a good life for the nation. But there is no room for this basis [of faith], nor does it make any sense, except if it is grounded in a purely materialistic philosophy chat does not admit the possibility that the system proceeds from anything other than a limited human mind.

    Thus, the capitalistic system is materialistic in every sense of the term. It either internalizes materialism, while lacking the courage to declare its being linked to it and based on it; or it is ignorant of the extent of the natural link between the actual and social situations of life. Due to this, capitalistic democracy is devoid of the philosophy on which every social system must rest. In a word, it is a materialistic system, even though it is not based on a dearly outlined materialistic philosophy.

    The Position of Ethics in Relation to Capitalism

    Because the capitalistic system was filled with the spirit of materialism, morality was removed from the picture. It was nowhere to be found in the system. Put more correctly, its notions and criteria underwent a change. The individual interest was declared as the highest objective, and all kinds of freedom as means for fulfilling that kind of interest. This resulted in most of the severe trials, catastrophes, tragedies and misfortunes that the modern world has experienced.

    Supporters of capitalistic democracy may defend this system’s perspective on the individual and his personal interests by saying that the individual’s aim is in itself a fulfillment of the social interest, and the results that morality achieves by its spiritual principles are achieved in a capitalistic democratic society, yet not by way of morality, but by way of having and serving individual motives. For when a human being performs asocial service, he also fulfills a personal interest, since he is a part of the society for whose sake he works. Moreover, when he rescues the life of an individual in danger, he, too, derives a benefit from chat, since the [redeemed] living individual will perform a service for the social organization. Thus, the rescuer regains a portion of this service. Hence, the personal motive and beneficial sense are sufficient for providing and securing the social interests since, in the last analysis, these interests are reduced to personal interests and individual benefits.

    This defense is closer to vivid imagination than to evidence. Imagine for yourself if the practical criterion in life for every individual in the nation ware the fulfillment, on the largest scale and for the longest term, of his benefits and personal interests, and if the state provided the individual with freedom, glorified him without reservation or limit, how would these individuals define social action? Further, how could the linkage of social welfare to the individual suffice for directing an individual to the anions called for by ethical values when many of these actions do not benefit the individual? If, on the other hand, it happens that such actions involve some benefit (to the individual) since he is a member of society, that slight benefit, which is not grasped by a human being except by means of analytical scrutiny, is often rivaled by the absence of immediate benefits or personal interests that find their assured attainment in freedom. Thus, the individual abolishes any ethical scheme or spiritual consideration for their sake.

    The Tragedies of the Capitalistic System

    If we wished to present the links in the chain of social tragedies that resulted from this system, which is neither well studied, nor philosophically based, there would be no room for doing so in the space designated for the present discussion. Because of this, we will [only] make a brief allusion to this point.

    The first of these links is the following. The majority governed the minority, their vital interests and affairs. Political freedom meant that the majority had the prerogative to lay down the system and its laws, as well as their management. Let us imagine that the group which represents the nation’s majority seizes the reins of power and legislation, and adopts the capitalistic democratic mentality which is purely materialistic in its orientation, inclinations, purposes and desires. What then would be the fate of the other group? Or what life would you expect for the minority under laws legislated with the majority and the preservation of its interests in mind? Would it be strange for the majority to legislate laws, particularly in light of its own welfare, to neglect the welfare of the minority, and to turn toward fulfilling its desires in a manner unjust to others? Then who would preserve the minority’s vital structure, and defend it against injustice, if personal interest is the [sole] concern of every individual, and if the majority’s social mentality lacks the notion of spiritual and moral values? It is natural that under (this) system, the despotic rule continues as before, and that the phenomena of manipulation and neglect of the rights and interests of others persist in the social atmosphere of this system as they did in the old social atmosphere. Put briefly, the difference [between the

    present and the old systems] is that neglect of human dignity arose [in the older systems] because of individuals in the nation; while in the present system, it arises because of groups that represent majorities in relation to minorities. [But] the totality [of these minorities] constitutes a large number of people.

    I wish the matter ended there. (Had it not gone beyond that) the tragedy would have been less and the stage would have witnessed more laughter than tears. However, the matter became more grave and intense after that, when the economic issue arose in this system. Thus, it determined the economic freedom along the lines discussed earlier. It allowed various methods and kinds of [acquiring] wealth, regardless of how exorbitant the wealth is, and regardless of how deviant it is in its methods and reasons. It also secured the realization of what it had advocated at the same time as the world witnessed a great industrial revolution, and when science became the product of the birth of the machine that changed the face of industry and swept away manual labor and the like. Thus, bountiful wealth came to a minority of the nation’s individuals who were given the opportunity to utilize the modern means of production, and who were supplied by unlimited capitalistic freedom that provided sufficient assurances for exploiting these means of production and benefiting from them to a great extent, as well as for destroying many groups in the nation whose industry was swept away and whose lives were shaken by the steam engine, and who found no way to stand steadfast in the face of this storm, as long as the lords of modern industries were armed by economic freedom and the rights to the glorified freedom of these industries. The scene became the sole province of an elite of the lords of industry and production. The middle class became smaller and grew closer to the general lower class. This left the destroyed majority at the mercy of that elite whose thoughts and considerations were consistent with the capitalistic democratic method only. It was natural for this wealthy elite to withhold compassion and charity from this large group of people, in order to keep them in the abyss and deny them a share in the elite’s own exorbitant profits. Why should the elite not do so, as long as the ethical criteria are benefit and pleasure; as long as the state secures for them absolute freedom of action; and as long as the capitalistic democratic system has no room for a moral philosophy of life and its specific concepts?

    The issue must, therefore, be studied in a manner inspired by this system. These powerful persons exploit the majority’s need for them, and their life supports. Thus, those who were capable were required to work in the elite’s fields and factories for an extremely long time; and for salaries sufficient only for the necessities of life.

    This is the pure reasoning of benefit. It was natural for the elite to adopt it, thus dividing the nation into a group of immense wealth and a majority in the deep abyss.

    Here, the political right of the nation is crystallized once again in a different form. Even though equality of political rights among individual citizens, for example, was not erased from the records of the system, nevertheless, after such tremors, it was nothing other than a figment of the imagination or a mere thought. For when economic freedom records the results that we have presented, it leads to the abominable division, Mentioned above. Further, it would itself be in control of the situation and of the reins of power, and would overcome the political freedom confronting it. Thus, by virtue of its economic position regarding society, its capacity for utilizing every means of propaganda, and its ability to buy defenders and aids, the capitalistic group has the upper hand over key positions13 in the nation. It assumes power in order to exploit it for its own welfare and for the pursuit of its aims. Legislation and the social system come under the control of capitalism when, according to democratic notions, they are the right of the nation as a whole. Thus, in the last analysis, capitalistic democracy is reduced to rule by a privileged minority, and to power used by a number of individuals to protect their existence at the expense of others. This they do by means of the benefit mentality which they derive from capitalistic democratic thought.

    We arrive now at the most abominable link in the tragedy played by this system. Those gentlemen in whose hands the capitalistic democratic system places full power and to whom it supplies every force and capacity, will extend their vision -inspired by the mentality of this system – to wider horizons. Also, inspired by their welfare and aims, they will feel in need of new areas of power. Two reasons account for this. First, the availability of production depends on the extent of the availability and abundance of raw materials. Thus, he who has a large share of such materials also has productive capacities chat are large and strong. Such materials are spread all over the vast, God-given earth. If it is necessary to obtain them, it is necessary to control the land that has them, in order to absorb and exploit them.

    Second, the intensity and strength of the movement of production motivated, on the one hand, by the protection of profit and, on the other hand, by the fall in the standard of living of many citizens due to the materialistic ambitions of the capitalistic group and its domination over the rights of the general public through their self-interested methods which make the citizens incapable of purchasing and consuming products create big producers who are greatly in need of new markets to sell the surplus products existing in the markets. Finding such new markets means chinking of a new country. Thus, the issue is studied with a purely materialistic mentality. It is natural for such a mentality whose system is not based on spiritual and moral values, and whose social doctrines admit no ends except those that bring pleasure to this limited life in various delights and objects of desire, to see in these two reasons a justification or a logical formula for assaulting and dishonoring peaceful countries, in order to control their fate and their large natural resources, and to exploit their wealth to promote surplus products. All of this is reasonable and permissible, according to the notion of individual interests on which the capitalistic system and the free economy are based. From there, gigantic materialism proceeds to raid and fight, to restrict and shackle, to colonize and exploit in order to please the appetites and to satisfy the desires.

    Reflect on how much the human race has suffered from the calamities of this system due to its materialistic spirit, form, tactics and purposes. This is so, even though it does not center on a well-defined philosophy which is in agreement with that spirit and form, and concordant with such tactics and purposes, as we have pointed out.

    Estimate for yourself the lot of a society established on the basis of this system and its conceptions of happiness and stability. In this society, mutual love and confidence, real merry and compassion, as well as all good, spiritual tendencies art totally absent. Thus, in it the individual lives feeling that he is responsible for himself alone, and that he is endangered by any interests of others that may cash with his. It is as if he is engaged in a constant struggle and a continuous fight, equipped with no weapons other than his personal powers, and provided with no purposes other than his personal interests.

  • Emergence of Secular thought in Europe

     

    The capitalist countries are embarked upon a mission to consistently attack Islam and Muslims and to impose their political and social values over us. The recent trips of American foreign secretary of state James Baker, to the predominantly Muslim inhabited areas of the former Soviet Union, in order to make sure that they do not return to Islam, was also a part of the same mission, which is, to export the secular and capitalist ideas and institutions to the whole world in general, and Muslims in particular. In this article, Ar-Raya tries to show the process of development of secular thought in Europe. We hope that the article will help us understand how the secular/capitalist thought is built upon the shallow and reactionary, and not the rational basis of thinking.

    During the 18th century, a revolution in thought took place in Europe in all aspects of life. This revolution was the result of a long struggle between the church and the intellectuals in which the Church suffered a defeat and lost all of its ruling power over the people who had become disgusted by its oppressive and manipulative style of Government. The revolution also changed the way people used to interpret the Universe and life. Throughout Europe, people started to abandon ideas and rules about life imposed on them by the Church. Some of the thinkers and philosophers lost so much confidence in the Church and Christianity due to it being used as a tool in the hands of the monarchs to oppress and manipulate people that they decided once and for all to demolish this institution. These thinkers later split mainly into two branches; one stream of thought as mentioned already, advocated the complete abolition of the Church while the other called for a compromise based on the principle of separation of religion and state. The former category of philosophers founded the basis of another ideology or a way of life which was later known as Communism while the latter category put the basis of modern day Capitalism which is the champion of secular democracy. In order to get a clear picture of the whole process, we need to take a brief look at the history of the role of the Church in the medieval European life.

    ROLE OFTHE CHURCH:

    As the Roman Empire started to decline from the 3rd century AD, the Church started to play a far greater role in the affairs of the sate than ever before. After Constantine, church and state officially allied. This point in history proved to be the start of endless misery and sufferings of the European people at the hands of the coalition between the Church and monarchs. At the same time, the Church and the Roman Empire started to suffer grave divisions. By 476 CE several kingdoms started to emerge in Europe in which the Church continued to play a major role in state affairs.

    Christianity lacked a system by which it could run the affairs of the people, so the Roman Church absorbed some of the traditions of the old Roman government in order to fill the gap. The Church had absolute monopoly over literacy and law because the new kingdoms were engaged in defending themselves from the invasions by outsiders. As a result, Church was the only place the monarchs could turn to when it came to equip themselves with legal systems and the state constitutions.

    The Church was Europe’s greatest government. Although the papacy directly ruled only the small regions around Rome and from time to time over England, Sicily, or the Jerusalem, it possessed more political power than any other government in Europe. In almost all of the kingdoms, the monarch called, Church’s prince, who was chosen by the cardinals (Rome’s local clergy). These cardinals in turn were used to be directly appointed by the Pope. The Pope had the ultimate power to install bishops and other clergy or to tax the churches or to give judicial rulings concerning all aspects of life and was believed to be in direct contact with God. The Church used its supremacy over its subjects in such a barbarous and brutal manner the example of which is difficult to be found anywhere in history. Innocent people were exploited inthe name of religion and the promises of heaven. A great source of the Church’s income was the sale of the keys to heaven to the financially sound Christians. The Church owned much of the useful lands and had accumulated most of the wealth in Europe. A great number of women were tortured and executed after the Church declared them witches. Scientists who dared to disagree with the church and tried to introduced new scientific ideas were executed. People, although living under great misery and hardships, did not dare speak or act against the will of the Church for the fear of severe persecutions. The list of the atrocities committed by the Church is endless and the details can be found in any history book dealing with what the Europeans call middle ages or the “dark ages.”

    The situation continued until the beginning of the 14th century when the first signs of discontent started to show against the Church’s rule. Western historians call this period in history the ‘late middle ages”.

    One of the factors for this rebellion against the church was the frustration among European thinkers that resulted due to the continuous humiliation of the crusaders at the hands of the great Muslim state. Also the church had proved to be a total disaster when it came to solving the social problems of the people because of Christianity’s lack of a system to govern all aspects of life. These factors and others combined, led to seal the fate of the church and Christianity in Europe.

    The Thirty Years War:

    During the 16th century, Europe was seething with theological debate and controversy. Each state considering the church as a useful tool to gain control over the other states moved to monopolise the institution of church. The violence broke out in 1618 and soon extended all across the continent. It was much more brutal than any of the previous feudal conflicts. The war went on for thirty years after which much of Germany and rest of Europe lay in ruins, the towns devastated and their industries destroyed. One third of the population had died either in battle or from plague, malnutrition, or similar war-related catastrophes. The war between France and Spain continued even until 1659.

    The Compromise:

    The conflict seemed endless. So, the thinkers finding no other way out, decided to make a compromise. The result of the compromise was the separation of religion from state affairs. The reformers of the church like Martin Luther and John Calvin declared politics as something of an embarrassment; and one of the primary duties of the Christian men was to obey, the constituted authority, no matter how wicked it might be. The great question who should rule, man or God?-was left unanswered and declared irrelevant; A whole new ideology was developed without thinking.

    A Retreat to the Greek Philosophy:

    The vacuum in the Western thought that seemed inevitable to result in case the church was removed from life, left Europe with no other choice but to retreat to thousands of years back in history-to the Greek philosophy- to find the solutions to their problems (accompanied by their stubborn resistance to accept Islam-the ultimate truth). This issue split the contemporary philosophers mainly into two groups; Those who were for the Greek philosophy, promoted “naturalism” and believed in the human beings natural reason to solve all of their problems, while the other group which was in favour of the church, advocated “realism” and the divinity of human institutions. This struggle resulted in a victory of the secular thought.

    This new society whose basis were on the ideas of either the abolition of the religion or the separation of religion from life affairs left the society in obscurity when it came to the meaning and significance of life and the universe. This situation led to a boom in the philosopher population throughout Europe. Everyday philosophers came up with new theories to explain the origin, the meaning, and significance of life. Some of those philosophers like Rene’ Descartes – a Frenchman- suggested that the reality is different for different people, depending upon individual’s consciousness, indirectly leaving the belief in God on the individuals consciousness. Another species of philosophers of which Immanuel Kant was a part, claimed that the human mind is responsible for the existence of things as we perceive them.

    Initial Signs of Capitalism:

    As the reign of the medieval church came close to an end, Europe’s secular institutions started to emerge in the form of a new ideological base- the capitalism. Nations started to think of their citizens-,as superior to others by virtue of race and innate genius, began to view themselves as guardians of their nation’s freedom. The idea became common that geography , climate, or even heavenly determination selected those frontiers within which men were naturally endowed with a will to be free, to govern themselves, or to dominate others. Each people felt a sense of perfection and superiority to other nations in its character or institutions. Fourteenth century German publicists praised their people’s ability to rule others and saw in their elected monarchy a proof of the peculiar freedom of the German spirit. The idea of the natural franchise of all things French and of all Frenchman was equally popular across the Rhine river in France. England did not want to be left behind in this race for superiority as John Fortescue- an English thinker claimed English free law and constitution to be superior to any existing law. Most of these ideas were the by-products of Aristotelian thought of particularism.

    With the rising tides of capitalism, the church was left with no other choice but to mould itself according to the new laws and institutions of the emerging secular states. The church was not in a position to manipulate the monarchs anymore, but now it was a tool in the hands of the secular governments to manipulate people. An example of this was the declaration by the church that the secular people who lived faithfully and worked honestly were as good before God as the religious people. By the 16th century, a number of reform movements had started in order to enable the church to coexist in the secular society.

    Political Thought of Capitalism:

    Macchiavelli, a pagan, from Florence Italy, founded the basis of the modern day western political thought through two of his famous books: The discourses on the First Ten Books of Livy and The Prince.

    According to his political thought, politics is a purely secular affair. It is, quite simply, the combat of men in search of power. Since men are all alike-all brutal, all selfish-politics must follow universal rules which are the same for all men. The successful ruler therefore is the man who has studied his fellow men, both by studying, history and observing his contemporaries, and is willing to exploit their weaknesses.

    Later at the end of the 18th century, France experienced a revolution in which the institution of monarchy was abolished and the modem day parliamentary system was adopted. It is known as the French revolution that took place in 1790. Almost all of the western countries including the United States were influenced by this revolution and later, starting with the reign of Napoleon, France, and other western countries embarked upon a policy of colonising other parts of the world in order to export the capitalist ideology and in return, to gain economically. Today, this policy is still prevalent in somewhat modified, but more effective forms.

    In today’s capitalist society, a politician is exactly according to Machiavelli’s ideal of a politician; an artist performs just for the sake of art, not the people; a writer writes for the sake of freedom of expression, and not for the benefit of the society; their so caged intellectuals or thinkers are experts only at making compromises, instead of giving solutions; their governments serve as a tool in the hands of the corporate businesses and the 0. I% rich of the society who are trying to snatch the remaining world’s resources from the possession of the poor peoples around the globe; and each member of their societies lives for the sake of its individuality, not for his or her family or the society.

    It is true that the Church no longer controls the Europeans anymore, but today this position has been taken over by the corporations and the banks. Another conflict is about to start. We hope that this time they use their minds instead of compromises. This is what the west or the capitalists are inviting the whole world, including the Muslims, to. We, the Muslims reject this invitation to Jahiliyah (utter ignorance) comprehensively, because we possess Islam- The system given to mankind by Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta’ala)- and strive to make Islam dominant so that the whole world is invited towards the light of Al-Haq.

    This article is taken from Ar-Raya Magazine, April 1992 edition