Is there a possibility of an Islamic Renaissance similar to European Renaissance?
Until today, after the irreversible decline of scientific knowledge in the Muslim world, they still remain focused to base their polity on the original Islamic rules of community. But there also exists a trend for modernity, as Oliver Leaman, in A Brief Introduction to Islamic Philosophy argues: “During the ‘Nahda’ or the ‘Arab Renaissance’ movement of the nineteenth century, the challenge to Islamic thought was clear. How can the Muslims develop a view of society which incorporates the principles of modernity, yet at the same time remain Islamic?… [According to the modernists], ‘Islamic Renaissance’ should follow the Western Renaissance, and put religion in its place; only in this way can Islamic world participate in the material and political successes of the West.“
When the Ottomans, the Safavids, and the Mughals lost their glories, the European nations went from strength to strength, acquiring more and more territories and trade centers, and succeeded in defeating the Muslims on land and sea. Today, Muslims are divided in nations, lacking an understanding of the Western challenges and its imperialistic threats. Instead of looking back to their past glory, they need to comprehend that the past cannot be revived. Unfortunately there still exists in all Muslim societies an “Islamist-Utopia,” which stands as an impediment to scientific and political modernity. It is time to move forward. New IT technology and modern scientific exploration can help them catch up fast the time they have lost. Muslims need to understand that during the golden era of their knowledge of philosophy and science, religion of Islam has never been an obstacle in their pursuit of scientific exploration and rational thinking. Today, the pace of technology is so fast, its impact so deep, that our lives will be irreversibly transformed. The coming era will neither be utopian nor dystopian, it will drastically transform the concept human beings relying on to give meaning to their lives. Today, a global revolution of “Scientific Enlightenment” is knocking at the door of the whole mankind; an enlightenment where human intelligence is going to give way to artificial intelligence of super computers. Time is gone for a seventeenth century type of renaissance, not only in Muslim countries but also in the whole world. — MIRZA IQBAL ASHRAF
This article is based on wishful thinking of the writer.
Islam is an extension of Abrahamic traditions. Qur’an uses the same myths as used by Old Testament and New Testament to raise all belief systems based on Iman-Bilghaib.
In order to modernize, Islam has to follow the same/similar routes and use same/similar strategies as used by Jews and Christians.
In Christianity, Church and State have been clearly separated.
Jews never had a state since antiquity except in 20th century. Now they have a state in Palestine but they do not have a written constitution. (Subject to verification – because I did not read it. I just heard it).
Christians have solved their problems. Church and state have been separated.
Political structure is secular. Religion is a personal phenomenon.
Muslims want to have it both ways.
Modernity in Islam is extremely difficult. 18th and 19th century Muslim intellectuals did try, but the results are in front of us.
Majority of Jews are secular – orthodox Jews are in minority. Unfortunately, their numbers of increasing because of their birth rate.
Only Christians in western Europe were able to create and establish renaissance.
Orthodox Christianity and Evangelical Christianity are still meshed up in dogma.
No renaissance in Islam is possible until political Islam is brought under control.
That is not easy and may not be possible. Let us discuss it. Because it is a complex question and there is no easy answer.
The discussion will develop and expand based on the responses of Muslim thinkers.
Scientific Enlightenment and Artificial Intelligence are important concepts – but they need lot of pre-requisites which are missing in all Muslim countries starting from Morocco to Indonesia.
nSalik (Noor Salik)
This discussion is clouded with several confusions. The renaissance discussed is of Islam or Muslims ? They are two separate things. Islam being a set of codes set in stone is not subject to change or variation through renaissance or otherwise, now or in future.
Muslims consist of dozens of nationalities, each with its own culture, tradition, language & literature; its own social structure and aspirations. They are of varying ethnicity in Africa, Arabs in the middle-east, Aryans like Iranians, Pushtuns, Turks, Albanians; Tajiks & Mongolians, Orientals of China & Malaysia, Muslims of sub-continent like Bengalis, dravidian extracts from southern India and SriLanka, and various ethnicities of Pakistan, and so forth. Its a long and broad canvas. To put them under one dream of renaissance of Muslims is not just an improbability, but an outright impossibility.
Coming to Islam itself, one needs to observe that Islam has been carefully constituted over a long period of 23 years, piece by piece, as a mosaic of tiles drawn from various religions of the middle-east and southeast Asia, to draw their adherents into its fold. The rituals of annual Hajj, like the circumambulating around Kaaba, pebble-throwing at the symbolic Satan, animal sacrifice and shaving of head at the end of Hajj rituals, are all popular rituals of beduin Pagans who had been doing it for a thousand years before Islam made its appearance. Similarly, the five prayers between sun rise and till after night-fall, their physical format and pre-requisite of ablution before the prayer, are borrowed from Avesta directives and mode of worship of Zorastrians done in their fire-temple on a daily basis. Like-wise the dietary restrictions of “Halaal & Haraam’ foods, as well as male circumcision has been borrowed from Judaical codes. The 29/30 days of fasting in the lunar month of Ramzan is a contribution from Christianity’s Lent, the fasting for 40 days from Ash Wednesday to Easter Sunday with some variation. So, one can safely conclude that based on the observations made by Prophet Mohammed over his trading trips and dealings with people of all religions mentioned above, he picked and chose what he liked as fundamental components to design the religion of Islam under his prophethood. The faith was sanctified and strengthened by him as ‘Divine’ revelation from Allah, the former chief resident idol of Kaaba. The indoctrination and persistent dogmatizing from the childhood onward blinds the faithfuls from scoping this tell-a-tale detail.
As the basic structure of Islam is a heterogeneous mix of various faiths, it lacks the structural integrity of other major religions. As a result, it is marred by sectarian strife of militant nature and break-away factions like Ismailis, Ahmedis, Nussayris, Bahais etc etc.
Renaissance, was never considered Christian or Jewish Renaissance, so why are we talking about Islamic Renaissance? Wequar Sahib has made a very good point that the people who consider their “way of life” a COMPLETE way of life which is set in stone in the traditions of 7th century can’t change, will not change. Renaissance was considered a bridge between the Middle Ages and Early Modern Age which started as a cultural movement in Italy. A cultural movement, and liberal arts will not change the mindset that
is stuck in 7th century.
Now, when Iqbal talks about “reconstruction” of religious thought that means that the current thought is/was not compatible with new era and similarly when any one thinks of
a need for Renaissance in Islamic world, it also means that it is felt that there is something wrong with the ways of 7th century practiced in the 21st. century. But just this deduction will give a heart burn to the proponents of Islamic Renaissance. Yet, they would like to hijack every idea, and attach “Islamic” to it and start drumming it was their idea…just like Wequar Sahib pointed out everything in Islam is copy of previous regional religions. Mirza Sahib keeps praising Islam on one hand for bringing change in the barbarian Arabs but very conveniently accepts that it is a well known fact that Islam is a final version of all the pre-existing versions.
I would like to add to Wequar Sahib’s list of things borrowed (rather hijacked) by Islam from other religions, something that prophet tried very hard to hijack but failed, and that
is Jerusalem as Kaaba, started prayers facing Jerusalem and only when found Jews not buying it then shifted direction to Mecca but he didn’t let go of Jerusalem and made it the first stop of his journey on Buraq, the flying horse.
Coming back to wannabe Renaissance, if any one watched the display of Islam or Muslims on the streets of Pakistan recently it is clear that there are two kinds of Muslims, one kind that is educated and does not need any Renaissance and they are easily assimilated in the modern world but the kind we watched on the streets needs no Renaissance – what it needs is Italian shoes (feet set in cement blocks and pushed over the pier) or the French Guillotines.
Babar
Brother Wequar Sahib everyone knows that: Islam does not define itself as a new tradition, but rather presents itself as the culmination of a tradition coming down from Adam to Abraham, to Moses, to Jesus and to Prophet Muhammad, as the final revelation of the previous religions. Its continuity with the prophetic traditions of Judaism, Christianity, and all other Biblical prophets is clearly recognized in the Qur’an: “Lo! We inspire thee [Muhammad] as We inspired Noah and the prophets after him, as We inspired Abraham and Ishmael and Isaac and Jacob and the tribes, and Jesus and Job and Jonah and Aaron and Solomon, and as We imparted unto David the Psalms. And messengers We have mentioned into thee before and messengers We have not mentioned unto thee; and Allah spoke directly unto Moses.”
The Renaissance which appeared in Europe did not appear within Judaism or Christianity as religions. However, for the intellectuals who were Christians or children of religious people it was easy to turn their back to religion because Christianity is a religion with no political philosophy nor any way of life like Islam. Islam in the Qur’an is revealed as a deen and no where it says that God has revealed a religion for humanity. Above all Prophet Muhammad successfully established the revealed deen, political and social system, traditions of war and peace, and there is a long list of every right and obligation as well as ways to act and practice, which none of the other revealed religions explain in detail. However, if one separates a Muslim from Islam, then a person is cannot be a Muslim without his belief in Islam. One can be only culturally a Muslim because of his name, parentage or living within Islamic culture. We have many Jordanian and Lebanese Christian with Arabic names and interestingly a Jordanian Christian said Azan so beautifully that we were mesmerized to hear. But this does not make him a Muslim.
For those who do not believe in God, there is no sense in carrying on this discussion. Islam is for those who believe in God. Apart from revealed religions, many other religions appeared on this planet, but the revealed religions are still being followed by billions of people.
Mirza Ashraf
For the attention of both, Wequar Sahib and Babar Sahib, if Islam borrowed everything from previous religions or the Prophet hijacked all detail from Zoroasterian Osta, Taurat, Anjeel and so, then what about these earlier scriptures, were they revealed or they borrowed and copied details from some where or nowhere?
Mirza Ashraf
This is in reply to Mirza Sahib’s question, if earlier religions than Islam (Christianity, Judaism) were also a copy of some earlier revelations; slam dunk – myths!
I am sure you know well about Gilgamesh myth.
I have a book written by a Christian that traces every Biblical account/fable to ancient myths.
Babar