This article is part of a series of articles on the topics of science, religion, progress and Islam. Although this current article is sufficient in itself, the full effect may only come from following the series: article1 -> article2 -> article3 -> this article.
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In a present day Muslim country, a man hops into a taxi cab. As the taxi gets on its way, the following conversation follows:
Muslim state of affairs and a cab ride anecdote
Man: I haven’t been back here in a while. How are things here?
Cabby: Aaaaa, it’s OK I guess … expect for the fuel prices you know.
Man: So you burn a lot of gas going around finding customers hanh!?
Cabby: Yeah … its slow this time of the year, and today is a Monday so what can I say …
Man: <thinks for a while and then continues> … Well here is an interesting thought … what if someone were to give you a device, like an electronic gadget for your taxi … the kind with an LCD screen and all … say it monitors your driving habits and knows when you picked up passengers in different parts of the city, it would then find patterns …. it will be able to tell you, given your current time and location, where you are mostly likely to find customers … and let’s say the device is free … well what do you think?
Cabby: <little pause> Hmmm … I’m not interested Sir
Man: Oh no I’m not selling it, it’s just a hypothetical question! Assume it’s free of charge, no monthly payments, no hidden fees … so how useful would it be for you?
Cabby: I don’t need it.
Man: <awkward pause> Perhaps you didn’t
Cabby: I know what you said sir … <smiles politely> … it’s free and it will help me find customers
Man: Exactly! … So you see it will
Cabby: <cuts in> Yes, well I don’t need the device.
Man: <confused> Why?
Cabby: Its God’s will
Man: Excuse me
Cabby: Its God’s will whether he chooses to give me passengers or not. It doesn’t matter whether I use a device or not, I will get whatever has been decided for me.
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This real life story is a common narrative of many Muslim countries today. The most astonishing aspect of it is not the lack of will for change, but the deeply ingrained belief that man’s powers are limited and insufficient in face of the problems. Man must accept life with all its apparent inequities and not challenge them, as that would amount to challenging God’s will. The origin of this defeatist attitude dates back to the decline of the once great Islamic Empire. These ideas of human inefficacy were spread as a mechanism of pacifying the masses in face of socio-economic unrest. It has had the unintended consequence of depriving the Muslim society of the much needed vigor and vitality. The pre-requisite to change is the very belief that change is possible. This lack of will and empowerment has turned the Muslim community into audiences, rather than actors, on the world stage called progress. While other countries catch up to the West and modernize, the Muslim countries are likely to be left behind. With a growing demographic and increasing disillusionment from politics, this can only mean havoc for everyone in the days ahead.
Socio-political unrest on the rise in Muslim countries today (Egypt in this case)
Muslims in general scoff at the idea of ‘modernization‘ and ‘westernization‘. It is very important to distinguish between the two concepts. Modernization and Westernization are two completely different ideas, having two completely different effects on a society. Westernization implies adopting values which form the basis of the Western societies. Modernization on the other hand implies raising the standards of living of the people, through improvements in education, healthcare, and other basic needs. The former may have good or ill effects on a society, but the latter is meant for the goodwill of the community. Muslim countries must therefore modernize without essentially westernizing. The West set out on this path of modernization over two centuries ago and now it’s everyone else’s turn to follow suit. Muslim countries must come out of the current state of stagnation and inject the much needed vigor and dynamism in their communities.
Islam has always formed the social and moral fabric of the Muslim societies and therefore an important question arises. Does Islam give people the free will to take control of their destinies and therefore challenge their circumstances? Are Muslims free to ponder over subjects like fate, pre-destination, science and religion? Surprisingly the answers to these questions lie in the past – to the times when Islam experimented with concepts of Reason and Revelation.
Spirit of enquiry lead to the advances in early Muslim societies
Islam in the early days saw a gradual rise in free thought and the spirit of inquiry. The courts of the Muslim leaders, like those of the Abbasid Caliphate, teemed with a mix of scholars and theologians. These men of learning served the edicts of Islam and furthered our understanding of the world. With religion forming the fabric of the society, the early scholars naturally honored the religious injunctions in their intellectual pursuits. This created an environment where reason (sciences) and revelation (religion) could co-exist and gave moral directions to the intellectual energies. From this harmony and balance between reason and revelation, came the vast array of achievements of the early Muslim scientists. Muslim society reached its peak and enjoyed a high stature throughout the world. But unfortunately this balance lasted only a few centuries. The unbridled excesses of rationalistic thought lead to the loss of the delicate reason-revelation balance. The reaction came in the form of outright banishment of rationalism by the religious community. Men of reason increasingly receded from the socio-political landscape and confined themselves to individual intellectual pursuits. The decline of the Abbasid Caliphate aggravated the political as well as the economic landscape. The one thousand years since then have not shown the type of dynamism and vigor that the early Muslim society had achieved. In such an atmosphere of conformity and complacence, adherence to age old practices became the norm. Thus the reason-revelation duality, which had once invigorated the Muslim societies, was lost.
|
Reason |
Revelation |
|
| Belief | believes in supremacy of logic | believes in the supremacy of the religious message |
| Actions | tries to find a logical justification for actions and beliefs | assumes beliefs to be final and unchanging, and that actions follow from beliefs |
| Problems | might not respect the domain of religion and can begin to challenge it | might not change actions in accordance with changing circumstances (from fear of changing the message) |
The state of tragic loss of reason has prevailed in the Muslim society during the past millennium. The world has experienced dramatic changes in the past few hundred years and yet the Muslims scholars have continued to view the world with outdated perspective. The Muslim society is in desperate need of the reintroduced of rational thought so that it may face the challenges of the current times. Reconciliation between reason and revelation, in the context of their mutual existence and goals, must happen in the Islamic community at large. This reconciliation can only be achieved if both the religious and the scientific community decide to be guided by their own essence.
The essence of scientific analysis or reason is the continuous search for truth, while keeping in mind that it cannot challenge the truth outlined by religion. For the religious minded, the priority is the creation of a moral society while following the essence of the original message. The actions in religion can change over time as long as the essence of the original message is preserved. These points are explained through examples:
Example of Reason maintaining its essence:
Reason and intellectual thought can explore the intricacies of the world and propose theories, but its realm ends at the doors of religion. In the realm of logic, Science and religion cannot overlap and can only exist side by side. This important rule of no-overlap (between science and religion) has been derived in detail in a previous article.
Example of Revelation maintaining its essence:
Religious essence can best be explained using a day to day example. For the act of prayer, Muslims are advised to keep their trousers raised, so as to bear their ankles. This action has been strictly enforced by the religious scholars without emphasizing the essence behind the message. This has lead to a lot of questions and doubts in recent times, specifically from the younger generation. Instead of blind adherence to old actions and practices, it is vital that the essence of the message be followed. The essence behind the baring of ankles is the message of modesty and humility. In the early days of Islam, long garments which dragged behind the person were seen as a sign of pomp and arrogance. This essence has unfortunately been lost and what is left is the strict adherence of age-old actions.
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The religious community needs to pave the way for the reintroduction of science and reason into the daily lives of Muslims. Only then can they excel at the knowledge of the world, while maintaining moral guidance from religion. Outright denunciations of scientific theories like evolution of species or origin of universe only alienate the Muslim students from further thought and reason. Science will always remain a changing set of theories about the world and therefore can never be in the position of challenge the constancy of religion.
It is indeed possible for science and religion to co-exist in harmony, as witnessed in history. Muslim community can once again achieve the balance between reason and revelation. The reaffirmation of the spirit of enquiry can reinvigorate the Muslims once more to tackle their problems. And although the story of the taxi driver is the story of the Muslim community today, the taxi driver nevertheless has the power to change his course.
Related Readings:
[A Short History of Islam, Mazhar-ul-Haq]
[Decline Of Islamic Civilizations - Causes - Time For A New Paradigm, Mirza A. Beg]
[Ibn Khaldun's Theory of Development ... , Umer Chapra]
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