Quranic Concept of History (JR130)
Introduction
The Koran narrates various past incidents and events
to establish an argument. Therefore the use made of history in the Koran
deserves to be studied and understood. This effort presents various
interactions and explanations related to the Korans concept of history;
comparison with other monotheist religions is also presented.
According
to the Quran, Allah (God) has created the universe with a certain purpose, and
all its parts are strictly under His control, carrying out His divine scheme
without the slightest deviation. Similarly, man too has been created with a
certain purpose. Yet man, is completely free to do what he wants, and act upon
his own decisions. However, in spite of this freedom, he is watched constantly
by Allah, for He does not allow any such deviation over a long period that
would nullify the plan of His creation.
Creation plan of Allah
The universe made by Allah is so vast that, despite the enormous progress made by human beings in their attempts to fathom the universe, many of its secrets still remain unknown. The planet Earth, made by Allah as part of the cosmos is unique in the entire universe, in that it has been endowed with an atmosphere and all the other factors, which are essential to make it habitable for man.
After creating a favorable world in the form of the Earth, Allah created the first man Aadam (Adam), may Allah exalt his mention, and his feminine counterpart, Eve. Although the precise date of this event is unknown, it is a fact that the first pair of human beings to set foot on earth were Adam, may Allah exalt his mention, and Eve.
Adam was the first man as well as the first Prophet. The way of Allah is to select a man as His Messenger from amongst human beings themselves, in order to send His revelations to humankind. Therefore, Allah revealed to Adam, may Allah exalt his mention, through an angel the purpose of man's inhabiting the earth. According to this plan, Allah created a creature in the form of man, upon whom He bestowed freedom. Where the rest of the universe had no choice but to submit to the will of Allah, it is desirable for man to opt for this divine plan of his own free will.
This plan of divine will is based on two basic principles: Monotheism and Justice. Monotheism holds man to worshipping one God alone, and not associating anyone or anything in this worship. Justice holds man to adhering completely too ethical principles in dealing with other human beings, and refraining from all kinds of injustice and oppression.
Along with this, Allah Almighty informed man that, although he appeared to be free, he was fully accountable to Him. Allah has a complete record of man's actions. In the eternal life after death Allah would judge everyone according to this record. The one who exercised his freedom wrongly would be thrown into eternal hellfire.
Adam, may Allah exalt his mention, died at a ripe old age. For a long period his people continued to adhere faithfully to the divine guidance. However, later, idolatry replaced Monotheism and people began to adopt the ways of injustice and oppression instead of justice and rectitude. After about 1000 years, the perversion became so all pervading that they were completely distanced from the path of the Sharee'ah (Divine Law) as shown by Adam, may Allah exalt his mention.
The age of perversion
Allah subsequently sent Noah, may Allah exalt his mention, as His Messenger. He continued to show people the right path, generation after generation. However, only a few people heeded his words. The rest persisted in their sinful ways. Then, in accordance with the ways of Allah, a huge flood engulfed them by way of punishment. Nooh (Noah), may Allah exalt his mention, and his small band of followers was saved in a boat, while all the rest drowned.
At that time, human population was probably concentrated only in the region of Asia, possibly the piedmont areas between modern Afghanistan and Turkey. The men and women saved in the wake of this flood settled afterwards in other parts of the world. Their race multiplied until it spread over the three continents of Asia, Africa and Europe.
After the death of Noah, may Allah exalt his mention, his people continued to adhere to the divine path shown by him, for a considerable period of time. However, again rot set in the later generations and they deviated from the path of Monotheism and justice. Allah's Messengers, may Allah exalt their mention, - the Quran has mentioned twenty five by name -- continued to come for several thousand years.
A Hadeeth (saying of Prophet Muhammad, , (may Allah exalt his mention) tells us that nearly 100,000 messengers came to the world. In this way a long period elapsed between Aadam, may Allah exalt his mention, and ‘Eesaa (Jesus), May Allah exalt his mention; whereas earlier Allah's Messengers continued to come to the world in almost every generation. However, only a few people believed in them while the majority rejected these prophets in every age.
The reasons for perversion
what were the reasons for this continued transgression? There were two main reasons: political absolutism and ignorance about the world of nature. In ancient times the system of monarchy prevailed everywhere. The kings of those days had adopted an easy strategy for the consolidation of their empire, and that was to apply a complete curb on intellectual freedom. As a result, Science could not make any progress in the days of old.
The same was the case with religion. The policy adopted by these kings was not to allow their subjects to follow any religion other than that approved of by the king. Superstitious religion served their purpose only too well. Therefore, not only did they themselves embrace superstitious religion, they also compelled their subjects to adhere to it. People were denied the right to think freely and opt for any religion other than the official one.
This policy of the king produced the evil of religious persecution. History shows that religious persecution has continued from time immemorial in one form or another.
The other factor was ignorance. In ancient times, man knew too little about the world and its phenomena. Political absolutism had placed an almost total ban on scientific research. Therefore, all kinds of superstitions prevailed regarding natural phenomena. It was generally held that the Sun, Moon and the stars possessed supernatural powers.
Similarly, it was believed that the sea, mountains and other such natural features were endowed with some extraordinary, mysterious power that exercised decisive control over human destiny.
The problem of evil
Those who want to interpret human history in the light of predetermined law, as is done in the physical world, are doomed to failure. While the physical world may be explainable within the framework of pre-determinism, the events of the human world are simply not amenable to interpretation in terms of any such law.
Others want to interpret the events of the human world in the context of freedom, but they are not satisfied either with their interpretation. This is because in spite of human freedom, the suffering experienced in this world has no valid understandable explanation. The failure of both these interpretations is due to the fact that they attempt to explain the whole in the light of a part -- which is simply not possible.
The truth is that the right principle by which to interpret human history is neither that of pre-determinism nor of freedom. According to Islam, there is only one correct principle to interpret human history and that is the principle of test. Man has been placed in the present world for the purpose of being tested. The eternal future of humankind will depend on the outcome of this test.
Creation plan of Allah
The universe made by Allah is so vast that, despite the enormous progress made by human beings in their attempts to fathom the universe, many of its secrets still remain unknown. The planet Earth, made by Allah as part of the cosmos is unique in the entire universe, in that it has been endowed with an atmosphere and all the other factors, which are essential to make it habitable for man.
After creating a favorable world in the form of the Earth, Allah created the first man Aadam (Adam), may Allah exalt his mention, and his feminine counterpart, Eve. Although the precise date of this event is unknown, it is a fact that the first pair of human beings to set foot on earth were Adam, may Allah exalt his mention, and Eve.
Adam was the first man as well as the first Prophet. The way of Allah is to select a man as His Messenger from amongst human beings themselves, in order to send His revelations to humankind. Therefore, Allah revealed to Adam, may Allah exalt his mention, through an angel the purpose of man's inhabiting the earth. According to this plan, Allah created a creature in the form of man, upon whom He bestowed freedom. Where the rest of the universe had no choice but to submit to the will of Allah, it is desirable for man to opt for this divine plan of his own free will.
This plan of divine will is based on two basic principles: Monotheism and Justice. Monotheism holds man to worshipping one God alone, and not associating anyone or anything in this worship. Justice holds man to adhering completely too ethical principles in dealing with other human beings, and refraining from all kinds of injustice and oppression.
Along with this, Allah Almighty informed man that, although he appeared to be free, he was fully accountable to Him. Allah has a complete record of man's actions. In the eternal life after death Allah would judge everyone according to this record. The one who exercised his freedom wrongly would be thrown into eternal hellfire.
Adam, may Allah exalt his mention, died at a ripe old age. For a long period his people continued to adhere faithfully to the divine guidance. However, later, idolatry replaced Monotheism and people began to adopt the ways of injustice and oppression instead of justice and rectitude. After about 1000 years, the perversion became so all pervading that they were completely distanced from the path of the Sharee'ah (Divine Law) as shown by Adam, may Allah exalt his mention.
The age of perversion
Allah subsequently sent Noah, may Allah exalt his mention, as His Messenger. He continued to show people the right path, generation after generation. However, only a few people heeded his words. The rest persisted in their sinful ways. Then, in accordance with the ways of Allah, a huge flood engulfed them by way of punishment. Nooh (Noah), may Allah exalt his mention, and his small band of followers was saved in a boat, while all the rest drowned.
At that time, human population was probably concentrated only in the region of Asia, possibly the piedmont areas between modern Afghanistan and Turkey. The men and women saved in the wake of this flood settled afterwards in other parts of the world. Their race multiplied until it spread over the three continents of Asia, Africa and Europe.
After the death of Noah, may Allah exalt his mention, his people continued to adhere to the divine path shown by him, for a considerable period of time. However, again rot set in the later generations and they deviated from the path of Monotheism and justice. Allah's Messengers, may Allah exalt their mention, - the Quran has mentioned twenty five by name -- continued to come for several thousand years.
A Hadeeth (saying of Prophet Muhammad, , (may Allah exalt his mention) tells us that nearly 100,000 messengers came to the world. In this way a long period elapsed between Aadam, may Allah exalt his mention, and ‘Eesaa (Jesus), May Allah exalt his mention; whereas earlier Allah's Messengers continued to come to the world in almost every generation. However, only a few people believed in them while the majority rejected these prophets in every age.
The reasons for perversion
what were the reasons for this continued transgression? There were two main reasons: political absolutism and ignorance about the world of nature. In ancient times the system of monarchy prevailed everywhere. The kings of those days had adopted an easy strategy for the consolidation of their empire, and that was to apply a complete curb on intellectual freedom. As a result, Science could not make any progress in the days of old.
The same was the case with religion. The policy adopted by these kings was not to allow their subjects to follow any religion other than that approved of by the king. Superstitious religion served their purpose only too well. Therefore, not only did they themselves embrace superstitious religion, they also compelled their subjects to adhere to it. People were denied the right to think freely and opt for any religion other than the official one.
This policy of the king produced the evil of religious persecution. History shows that religious persecution has continued from time immemorial in one form or another.
The other factor was ignorance. In ancient times, man knew too little about the world and its phenomena. Political absolutism had placed an almost total ban on scientific research. Therefore, all kinds of superstitions prevailed regarding natural phenomena. It was generally held that the Sun, Moon and the stars possessed supernatural powers.
Similarly, it was believed that the sea, mountains and other such natural features were endowed with some extraordinary, mysterious power that exercised decisive control over human destiny.
The problem of evil
Those who want to interpret human history in the light of predetermined law, as is done in the physical world, are doomed to failure. While the physical world may be explainable within the framework of pre-determinism, the events of the human world are simply not amenable to interpretation in terms of any such law.
Others want to interpret the events of the human world in the context of freedom, but they are not satisfied either with their interpretation. This is because in spite of human freedom, the suffering experienced in this world has no valid understandable explanation. The failure of both these interpretations is due to the fact that they attempt to explain the whole in the light of a part -- which is simply not possible.
The truth is that the right principle by which to interpret human history is neither that of pre-determinism nor of freedom. According to Islam, there is only one correct principle to interpret human history and that is the principle of test. Man has been placed in the present world for the purpose of being tested. The eternal future of humankind will depend on the outcome of this test.
If
everything had been completely predetermined in the world, the element of trial
would have been absent. Granting freedom to people did involve the risk of some
people misusing their freedom, which gave rise to the problem of human
suffering. Suffering results from evil, yet this suffering or evil, is a very
small price to pay for a very precious thing. Although, man has a will, the
will of Almighty Allah encompasses all wills, so nothing happens in the
universe unless Allah ordained for it to happen.
According to Islam that person is most precious who leads his life in this world in such a manner that, despite facing all sorts of temptations, he succeeds in overcoming them. Despite having the power to misuse his freedom, he refrains from doing so. Despite the possibility of leading an unprincipled life, he chooses his own free will to be a man of principle. To identify such individuals, it is essential that an atmosphere of freedom prevail in the world. This is not possible under any other system.
According to Islam that person is most precious who leads his life in this world in such a manner that, despite facing all sorts of temptations, he succeeds in overcoming them. Despite having the power to misuse his freedom, he refrains from doing so. Despite the possibility of leading an unprincipled life, he chooses his own free will to be a man of principle. To identify such individuals, it is essential that an atmosphere of freedom prevail in the world. This is not possible under any other system.
Few
different views:
1. Cyclical Views: History goes in cycles. So there is no meaning. Things
happen in a cyclical, nonsensical, meaningless way. There is no God or purpose
behind events. This is the Greek view. Nietzschean view is also cyclical; it is the
modern cyclical view. E.g. Spangler.
2. Providential View: History completely guided by God: controlled by Him.
That either a group or the human species is chosen by God. There are a chosen
people with this view, e.g. Judaism.. This is similar to the cyclical view in
that there is no human input at all.
3. Secular Deterministic View: (Hegelian, Marxist views) History is
propelled by non-human forces, economic motives. Freud: Eros, sexual drives. Hegel:
The idea of the absolute state. Conflicts within matter that manifests itself
through human society.
In all three views the idea of the autonomous human
individual who can choose, who is responsible, and who carries moral burdens
disappears altogether in a variety of determinism either cyclical, materialism,
or providential. In all three there is no freedom of the will. There is an
Islamic World Outlook, a philosophy, a concept of history. It is based on a
basic duality. God created the world, but does not dwell in it. He is removed
from it. He cares for it, and guides it, but is always beyond it :
Transcendental (Muazza). It is not dualism but duality. It is not God
versus the world, but God beyond the world. We can interact with Him. God has
granted us autonomy (Fitra) rights and drives. He has given us a mind to
judge. He gave us a message, and a burden. We deserve to be the center of the
universe. He left us free to choose, after giving us guidance, a covenant. He
gave us all the tools. It is all up to us. He has given us history. History is
the realm of freedom. We can save or damn ourselves.
The idea of “Seal of the Prophets " ( Khatam
al Nabi) has to be introduced. It is central in the Islamic view of
History. In the past God has felt that man needed continuous guidance through
prophets. Now he sent the Quran as the final message. It is a fulfillment of
the previous ones, a synthesis, not different. Now we have the Quran and the
mind and nature, and we have the freedom to choose. Therefore he is the last
Prophet. We have all the ingredients to be free agents in history.
There is no more interaction in history. He has given
the final word in his covenant. From now on we are free. Through our own
interpretation we can get guidance and reach some kind of truth. I would like
to place this in contrast to the “End of History Idea ". Where did it come
from? Fukuyama: is not someone crazy, it all of a sudden came to his mind. I
argue that with the concept of determinism, comes the “End of History Idea
", especially within the secular view, because in the secular view there
is a movement within matter itself propelling nature, the economic drive, the
erotic drive. In the case of Fukuyama it is the economic drive: he declares the
triumph of liberal capitalism and democracy. This is inevitable in any
materialistic point of view. Unless the movement of matter is infinite, i.e.
attributing to it the characteristics of God. In other words he thinks in terms
of metaphysics. He has embarked on the concept of infinity, which is really
metaphysical. So within materialism there has to be an end to history.
History According to the Islamic view it moves
basically through the human will, not guided by laws of nature, but laws of
God, and helped by nature, being an open book. From the secular materialistic
point of view, history moves by some materialistic power, e.g. means of
production, or the state moving history forward. The characteristic of all the
materialistic ideas is that they all have an ending. So a secular messiah, e.g.
Robespierre, Stalin, Hitler, Fukuyama, all claim, here is paradise, here is the
end of history. With Islam there is no end in history at all, except the day of
judgment, which is outside history. In Judaism the Day of Judgment is within
history. In Christianity the second coming is the end of history and is also
within history. In Islam there is no end in history. God is external to history;
he guides history, but is not in it, he transcends it. In Islam history lasts
forever, and within its realm man has freedom to choose.
From the
very beginning it was believed that history is determined by human choice, but
guided by God. It was already projected from the history of the Prophet. They
always wanted to write a comprehensive history. Ibn Khaldun did not exclude
providence altogether. He did see patterns like asabiya etc., but always saw the human will acting in
history.a history that has meaning and is guided by a transcendental power.
Western concept cannot accept this duality. Either it is one or the other. When
the West looks at Ibn Khalduns Philosophy, they strip it of its duality, and
make him look like a pure secular materialist.
.
Iqbal’s early interest in history is evident from the fact that, as early
as in 1913, he compiled an elementary book of history as text-book under the
title Tārīkh-i Hind for school students similar to text-books of Urdu and
Persian. He firmly believed that the fall and rise of nations, if studied in
historical perspective, may save nations from decline and disaster and help
them to preserve their cultural heritage. He had deep insight of human history
and Muslim society and penetrating eyes on their social and Cultural Revolution.
He studied particularly the history of Islam. References and allusions to
events in Islam are copiously given in his works of prose and poetry and events
and anecdotes are found in abundance in his writings.
In the year 1910 he gave a lecture in the Strachey Hall, Muslim Aligarh University.
It was later translated into Urdu by Maulānā Zafar ‘Alī Khan under the title
“Millat-i Baidā’ Par Ek ‘Imrānī Nazar”.
This was a very important lecture from the point of view of his analysis
of the causes of the rise and fall of nations, particularly with reference to
Muslims’ decline in educational, social and cultural fields. Like Ibn Khaldūn,
a great Muslim historian, he analyses the moral and cultural experiences of
different nations and states that human experiences are governed by a definite
set of historical laws. If examined from anthropological and sociological point
of view, it appears that there are stages of development of human faculties of
different nations. Bravery, kindness and self-control are the virtues
exemplified in notable personalities. If we take examples from the history of
Muslim India these qualities are reflected in Taimūr, Bābar and ‘Alamgīr,
respectively. He considered Aurangzeb ‘Alamgīr as a pioneer of Muslim
nationhood in the history of Muslin’s of the subcontinent—the same ‘Alamgīr who
is described by some historians as tyrant, fanatic and a symbol of machination
against non-Muslims.
To grasp fully Iqbal’s concept of history, it must be remembered that the
absolute unity of God and the innate freedom of man’s inner self are the basic
principles through which, according to him, the socio-economic and moral
values in a society are governed. As a matter of fact, moral and ethical
degradation resulted in the economic and political backwardness of the Muslims
in the subcontinent. Nations which do not change their lot by moral, economic
and social improvement have no right to exist on earth. They are bound to
crumble and collapse. History does not sympathise with any individual or
nation. It is cruel to those who deviate from the set pattern prescribed by
historical forces and is favourable only to those who follow the Divine laws. Survival
of the fittest does not mean only the physical fitness, but moral and spiritual
strength is also necessary to gain power and a place in the annals of history.
He illustrates this point in the following line:
“You are fully aware of the reasons of the decline of the Muslims;
It is certainly not on account of want of money.”
According to Iqbal, history changes its course. New events take place
with the forces of evolution; nevertheless the basic facts of history remain
the same. According to him, the love for power, lust for money, domination over
the weak all are universal facts of life and have remained the same throughout
different periods of history.
“Adam is old but the idols are young.”
Thus his vision of human history is not merely the narration of facts; it
is rather realization of the empirical truth. According to him, life is not
only for the conquest of the universe; its ultimate achievement is nearness to
God. He considers history an unbreakable chain between man and God. Living
individuals, by their collective self, change the course of history. They
create history. When this chain of historic man and God is weakened, it ends in
tragedies. Thus the philosophical side of history, according to him, is that
the events in this world never lead to mental peace. Man has to struggle to
conquer happiness.
In his note-book. Stray Reflections, he notes:
“History is a sort of applied ethics. If ethics is to be an experimental
science like other sciences, it must be based on the revelations of human experience.
A public declaration of this view will surely shock the susceptibilities even
of those who claim to be orthodox in morality but whose public conduct is
determined by the teachings of history “
In his opinion, the interpretation of history is a delicate and sensitive
matter. The facts from fiction are to be sifted with care and caution. He says:
“History is only an interpretation of human motives; and, since we are
liable to misinterpret the motives of our contemporaries and even of our own
intimate friends and associates in daily life, it must be far more difficult
rightly to interpret the motives of those who lived centuries before us. The
record of history, therefore, should be accepted with great caution.”
He is delighted to read the glorious history of the Muslim community, and
praises them in the following words:
‘The more you reflect on the history of the Muslim community, the more
wonderful does it appear. From the day of its foundation up to the beginning of
the sixteenth century—about a thousand years—this energetic race (I say race
since Islam has functioned as a race-making race) was continually busy in the
all-absorbing occupation of political expansion. Yet in this storm of
continuous activity this wonderful people found sufficient time to unearth and
preserve the treasures of ancient sciences, to make material additions to them
to build a literature of a unique character, and above all to develop a
complete system of law—the most valuable legacy that Muslim lawyers have left
to us.”
His poetic mind thinks of a beautiful simile and compares history to a
gramophone. He says that “History is a sort of a huge gramophone in which the
voices of nations are preserved.”
Now coming to the philosophical side of history, as a source of human
knowledge, Iqbal considers history as a great power of inner experience.
According to him, the function of Sufism in Islam has been to systematize
mystic experience. But according to him Ibn Khaldūn was the only Muslim
historian who approached it in a thoroughly scientific spirit. In his book
Reconstruction of Religious Thought in Islam Iqbal writes:
“But inner experience is only one source of human knowledge. According to
the Quran there are two other sources of knowledge-Nature and History; and it
is in tapping these sources of knowledge, that the spirit of Islam is seen at
its best.”
He further elaborates that
“It is one of the most essential teachings of the Quran that nations are
collectively judged, and suffer for their misdeeds here and now. . . . The
Quran constantly cites historical instances, and urges upon the reader to
reflect on the past and present experience of mankind.”
Every nation has its fixed period (Holy Qur’ān, vii. 32). Iqbal in his
lecture, “The Spirit of Muslim Culture,” included in his monumental work
Reconstruction of Religious Thought in Islam, has discussed at length the
Quranic references in history. The Qur’ān extends farther than mere indication
of historical generalisation. He says :
“Since accuracy in recording facts which constitute the material of
history is an indispensable condition of history as a science, and an accurate
knowledge of facts ultimately depends on those who report them, the very first
principle of historical criticism is that the reporter’s personal character is an
important factor in judging his testimony. . . . The growth of historical sense
in Islam is a fascinating subject.”
lbn Khaldūn, Ibn Ishāq, Tabarī, and Mas’ūdī are the product of the desire
to furnish permanent sources of inspiration to posterity. According to Iqbal,
the possibility of a scientific treatment of history means a wider experience,
a greater maturity of practical reason, and finally a fuller realisation of
certain basic ideas regarding the nature of life and time. These are based on
two Quranic teachings: (I) the unity of human origin ; (2) a keen perception of
time and concept of life as a continuous movement in time.
Iqbal’s concept of history is derived from Quranic teaching. Elaborating
this aspect in the essay referred to above he says that “considering the
direction in which the culture of Islam had unfolded itself, only a Muslim
could have viewed history as a continuous, collective movement, a real
inevitable development in time.”
A living nation with the help of its collective ego may change the current
of history. It will be an epoch-making nation. But if the collective unity is
broken and forces of disintegration start working, the tragic side of the
history of a nation is manifested. The creation of Pakistan is a unique feature
of Muslim history. It is our sacred duty to preserve and safeguard it keeping
in line with the golden period of Muslim history.
Ibn Khaldun and the Philosophy of History
Imadaldin Al-Jubouri , on the medieval Islamic philosopher, who pioneered the
scientific understanding of history.
The Arabic philosopher and
historian ibn Khaldun (1332-1406) was the first pioneer to discover that
history, like any other science, required research. “It is the science of
circumstances and events and its causes are profound, thus it is an ancient,
original part of wisdom and deserves to be one of its sciences.”
In his The Introduction (1377),
ibn Khaldun also wrote, “History is an art of valuable doctrine, numerous in
advantages and honourable in purpose; it informs us about bygone nations in the
context of their habits, the prophets in the context of their lives and kings
in the context of their states and politics, so those who seek the guidance of
the past in either worldly or religious matters may have that advantage.”
Ibn Khaldun’s theory divided
history into two main parts: the historical manifest and the historical gist.
According to him, history should not limit itself to recording events, but
should examine environments, social mores and political bases: “True history
exists to tell us about human social life, which is the world’s environment,
and the nature of that environment as it appears from various events. It deals
with civilisation, savagery and tribalism, with the various ways in which
people obtain power over each other, and their results, with states and their
hierarchies and with the people’s occupations, lifestyles, sciences,
handicrafts and everything else that takes place in that environment under
various circumstances.”
Ibn Khaldun’s method relied on criticism,
observation, comparison and examination. He used scientific criticism to
analyse accounts of historical events, the sources of these accounts and the
techniques used by historians, examining and comparing various different
accounts in order to get rid of falsifications and exaggerations and obtain
some objective idea of what had actually happened. Many accounts contained lies
because they had been written to flatter some ruler or to further the interests
of some sect, the new smakers and storytellers deliberately cheating and
falsifying things for their own purposes. Ibn Khaldun, therefore, urged the
historian to become erudite, accurate in observation and skilled in comparing
text with subtext in order to be capable of effective criticism and
clarification.
Although ibn Khaldun strongly
believed in God, he never mentioned any celestial aim for history, or any
divine end at which history would come to stop. He states, in fact, the “past
is like the future, water from water”, which seems to imply that human history
has no end. Ibn Khaldun went further to criticise other historians for imposing
metaphysical ideas upon historical events to make the latter appear subordinate
to the gods or to divine providence, turning history, properly a science, into
something more closely akin to the arts and literature.
As a result, some Muslims and
Westerners seized his concept of history to denounce ibn Khaldun as an atheist,
a charge of which he was innocent; his point was that the science of history
was not subject to metaphysics and could not be made so. Ibn Khaldun never
questioned the existence of God. His work, according to him, was “inspired by
God, pure inspiration”, which should be evidence enough of his belief in God.
However, his views on prophecy
are crystal clear, unlike those of certain of his predecessors in Muslim
philosophy, in particular Alfarabi (870-950) and Avicenna (980-1037). As an
experimental philosopher he was interested in the holy experiments of the
Prophet Mohammed (570-632), which means he cannot have seen history as having
no end. If the existence of God is regarded as an absolute fact and His
prophets and their religious experiments as proof of this fact, then the
statement that in history the past is just like the future must mean it
consists of a continuous series of events not stopping with any nation, but
continuing in cycles.
Ibn Khaldun believed even the
minutest of facts should be scrutinised in analysing historical events, since
these were not simple phenomena, but complex. He regarded history as far from
easy to study, being “the knowledge of qualitative events and their causes in
depth.” Since metaphysical theories of history were in his view irrelevant, Ibn
Khaldun imported the idea of causality from the theoretical field of philosophy
into the practical arena of history by concentrating on the worldly ‘causes and
reasons’ of historical events. His method was directly inductive, relying on
the senses and the intellect without referring to any other norm. There was, in
his view, a yawning void between the abstractive and the experimental, the
first being based on logic and second on the reality of the sensible world. The
subject of divine knowledge was an invisible spirit unable to be subjected to
experimentation and of which there was no sensory evidence, so there could be
no certain proof of it in this world. Since the sensible and the non-sensible
thus had no terms in common, ibn Khaldun banished the abstractive or divine
world from his logical syllogisms. This is precisely the approach taken by modern
positivism, and even pragmatism followed in ibn Khaldun’s footsteps during its
early stages.
In his diagnosis of “the causes
of lies in history”, ibn Khaldun identifies a number of reasons, such as:
sectarianism, misplaced trust in the sources, ignorance of some hidden purpose
and the wish to flatter rulers. Hence, many historians, copyists and tellers
have made the mistake of accepting untrue accounts or recording events that did
not take place because they have relied on report alone, without bothering to
research its sources closely for truth or falsehood, compare it with anything
else or apply their own intelligence to it. In this they have showed themselves
to be poor historians. For example, al-Mas’udi and various other Arab
historians accepted that the Israelite armies led by the Prophet Moses numbered
600,000 or more men aged twenty and upwards. If we examine this tale carefully
it is clearly false. When Jacob and his kinsmen entered Egypt there were only
seventy of them. Only four generations separated Jacob and Moses. Where, then,
did Moses get this huge multitude of youths and men? The Israeli themselves,
moreover, reported that Solomon’s army numbered 12,000 and his horses 1400,
while calling his kingdom the vigour of their state and an expansion of their
reign.
Al-Mas’ud also succeeded in
ignoring physical reality. How exactly was this huge army squeezed into the
maze? How could so massive a force have been lined up and moved in so limited
an area of land? In the area of historical knowledge al-Mas’ud did no better.
Historically each kingdom was manned by a certain number of garrisons according
to its size. A kingdom having six hundred thousand or more fighters would have
had borders far exceeding the limits of the ancient kingdom of Israel.
In his prescription of
“requirements for a historian”, ibn Khaldun stated that several things were
essential if a historian were to be qualified to deal with historical events
and stories:
1. An
understanding of the rules of politics and the nature of people.
2.
Knowledge of the natural environment and how it differs according to time and
place.
3.
Acquaintance with the social environments of the various different nations in
terms of way of life, morals, incomes, doctrines and so forth.
4. An
understanding of the present time and an ability to compare it with the past.
5.
Knowledge of the origins and motives of states and sects, their declared
principles, their rules and major events in their histories.
To achieve a critical
understanding of historical events, then, the historian must study the general
circumstances of the period with which he is dealing and compare the particular
events in which he is interested. He should then explore any similar events
that have taken place at other periods along with the general circumstances of
these periods. When he has completed these two main stages he should be able to
recognise events as reasonable and probably true, or unacceptable and almost
certainly false. Certain events need only be studied separately, along with the
general circumstances of their periods, to know which parts of them must be
true or false.
In his analysis of ‘the
intellect’, ibn Khaldun believes the intellect has limits it cannot exceed and
that these prevent it from reaching a complete understanding of God and His
attributes. This is its reality, and man cannot upgrade it or increase its
level of capability. Ibn Khaldun insisted that the intellect could not be aware
of “the reality of the soul and the divine” or of anything else existing in the
higher world, because it was incapable of reaching, knowing or proving it. We
can be aware only of what is material; if a thing is immaterial we can neither
prove it nor base any proof upon it.
Ibn Khaldun offered the
intellect little encouragement to dwell on metaphysics, preferring to emulate
Algazel (1059-1111), by dealing a final and near-fatal blow to philosophical
thought by the Arabic-Islamic intellect. Nevertheless, it is worth mentioning
that in closing one door ibn Khaldun threw open to the human mind an entirely
new one: the sociology and philosophy of history.
Since the 18th century, the
western world has taken ibn Khaldun seriously, especially as his scientific
ideas were very much like those that were to develop much later on in human
history. He has, however, still not taken his rightful place as the founder of
philosophy of history and the pioneer of sociology, although translations of
his historical and social treatises have helped to some extent.
Extracts from “The Quranic Concept of
History” by Mazheeruddin Siddiqi published by Islamic Research Institute
Islamabad
The Quran lays great emphasis upon
the fact that the process of history is not neutral in respect of nations and
communities for it clearly says
“God is on the side of those who fear
Him and do good” (XV1:127)
Fear here relates to the law of
divine retribution which encompasses the process of history .The law in itself
is merely a statement of the essentials of inter dependent existence within
human societies.
Communities that are virtuous in its conduct,
towards its own members as well as those outside its fold can rely on divine support.
Virtue ,justice, fair dealing and
other qualities which lead to the betterment of human relationships help human
effort to succeed at both individual and collective levels .The historical
process defeats the purpose of wrong doers .God does not entrust the leadership
of mankind to a people who are ethically inferior(in that point of time) and
cannot maintain justice either among themselves or in relation to others .This
is because the historical process is an ethically oriented one and ,therefore,
does not allow ,a group of people, who do not fulfill the minimum requirements
of justice, fair play and honesty in dealings with others ,to rise to the position
of leadership .
The
norms of justice ,ethics and morals also evolve with time .These are not stationary concepts but are
dynamic ones .Human societies have and are undergoing through a process of
evolution and this entails that all aspects that relate to community living
also evolve with time .What is considered just and moral in one period is not
unacceptable in subsequent times .The reference to moral and ethical norms in this
analysis is related to the time relationship of these values .These are not deemed as fixed and static concepts .
The historical process is depicted by
a continuous, albeit haphazard and even regressive at times, process.
The Quran views the historical
process as selective in the sense that it sifts those who are morally weak from
those who can function effectively as the standard bearer of culture and
civilization in the moral and spiritual sense of the word.
The historical process is therefore
selective in so far as it tends to preserve what is of value to mankind, but allows
everything else to perish.
The focus here is not individuals but
groups .The way in which a group responds to challenges thrown up by natural forces;
social changes; or through impact of other societies brings out its moral
qualities.
Historical events and the changes
they bring about are the agents through which the selective process in history
works out .The course of history itself is a moral agency through which the
morally superior elements rise to the top while those who are morally inferior
slide to the bottom.
The Quran also says “Or do those who
do evil deeds think that We shall make them as those who believe and do good -----
their life and death shall be equal?” (XCV:21) .This means that the ideological
,social and economic structure of a societies makes the difference between them
.Corrupt societies , without an ideal (moral or religious) cannot be accorded
the same treatment , by the historical process, as a society which subscribes
to virtuous ideals and healthier beliefs.
Religion promises reward and punishment
in the hereafter but the historical process requires that the punishment (or
reward) be meted out in this life, here, and now (does not mean immediately, as
the punishment process works out gradually) .It is essential that goodness and
virtue in a group receive their due sooner or later, in some form or another
and wickedness in any nation meets with punishment at some stage or the other
in their history.
The Quran also says “Allah has
promised to those of you who believe and do good that He will surely make them
rulers in the earth, as He made those before them rulers, and He will establish
for them their religion, which He has chosen for them, and that He will surely
give them security in exchange after their fear” (XXIV: 55) and “And certainly
We wrote in the Book after the reminder that My righteous servants shall inherit
My land” (XXI: 105).
Both above verses apply to the
community and not to individuals’.
Social groups that accept faith and
consequently begin a life based on virtue and goodliness.
The group also acquires social
virtues like: spirit of mutual cooperation; a feeling of corporate personality;
a readiness to take risks in the interest of the community.
Change does not happen instantaneously
but takes time ,the process is ,usually long drawn out ,until a time when the
community in question disintegrates ,by natural or other means .The process
also does involve frequent warnings through a number of ways .These warnings
may be wars ,strikes ,civil commotion ,and social convulsions .This would mean
that chances to reform are frequently offered and only when the group shuns all
efforts towards reform that it is eliminated .The punishment in itself usually
involves the loosening or elimination of bonds and ties that hold a group
together .The group becomes a collection of individuals working against each
other and form easy prey to other groups or ideas .
The historical process involves
actions of men and not their beliefs .If a belief becomes ossified and is held
merely as a sacred tradition of the past it has no effect on the historical
process since it is unable to influence human behavior .Ideas that were once
great could become outdated and consequently useless .Tyranny ,injustice and
oppression are the causes that bring about destruction of an community .Every
society has some unfairness but what is referred to here is grave injustice
which amounts to oppression ,this oppression may be by one section of the
population upon another or by the group against other peoples .When God wishes
to destroy a people He puts wicked people at their head .
The Koran also suggests that
prosperity without the counter balance of the fear of God tends to corrupt .The
main idea of the Koran seems to be that it is not affluence that is undesirable
but the spiritual imbalance that in fact causes the decadence and ultimate
destruction .People could live in affluence without losing the spiritual and
moral values which keep in check the moral and social disorders that result in
decadence and destruction .Prosperity and affluence can co-exist with a
spiritually balanced life in the realms of beliefs and conduct .
The Koran also asserts that it is not
enough for one to lead a righteous life .The social requirements obligate the
individual to see that others also lead such a life ,this because it is in the
interest of the group to be collectively just and correct else the group will
perish .Thus the common good requires that the structure of the society and its
system be such that behavior that threatens the collective existence is
condemned and stopped .It would seem that the Koran suggest that unbridled
materialism brings disaster and that there is need to regulate materialism to
ensure that individual efforts do not transgress the rights of others .
The Koran also suggest that a system
that cannot renew itself from time to time must degenerate and produce
corruption and injustice , which can be removed only by the victory of another
group with a different system of life and moral values .
The Koran suggests that ,material
progress is not the same thing as spiritual progress .The two are not
contradictory but neither are they equivalent to each other .Thus the holders
of power and wealth need to be guided by a healthy system of beliefs ,resulting
in appropriate moral conduct else they will be ruined and disgraced .Unless
wealth is used by its possessors for moral and material uplift of humanity ,it
is more likely to bring them to the brink of disaster .unless wealth and
economic prosperity goes together with a feeling of humility and an
understanding of the social obligations involved in the possession of wealth
and power the result could lead to disaster and elimination .
Societies that are unjust become
corrupt and lose cohesion .This is because that a society should process a high
degree of internal cohesion in order to be able to compete with others in the
struggle for supremacy .Internal cohesion requires justice in its widest sense
.World leadership is conferred upon nations that can stand the challenge and test
of history .
THE QUR’ANIC CONCEPT OF HISTORY
by
Dr. Syed Ali Ashraf
Definition
Any narration of the past is known as 'history'. It is used as a generic
term when one talks of ‘the history of civilizations’, ‘the political history
of a country’, ‘the economic
History of any region’, ‘the history of religions’ or ‘the history of
mankind’. But when one frames the history sylla bus for school children or
teaches ‘history’ as a subject in schools and colleges, one generally deals
with the political history of races, nations, peoples and mankind. Whether we are
teaching the history of the world or the history of a nation or the history of
a region, we describe the rise and fall of nations, or the growth and expansion
of political progress or downfall of houses and families. Even when we speak of
civilizations and cultures, we consider them in the context of peace and war
among groups of people or nations or races. In other words, racial, cultural,
social, economic nd moral history of mankind is always presented within the
context of the growth, expansion and fall of political authority. When the past
of mankind is presented in the Qur’an, the same rise and fall of political
authority is discussed.
The narration of the past of mankind through history in the restricted
sense of the word is therefore, both in the Qur’an and in modern connotation,
the narration of the rise and fall of political authority.
The Past
What is this past? How far back do we go when we draw up a syllabus? What
particular nations or races or groups of people do we feel confident enough to
talk about? What is it that gives us this confidence? Here we try to be what is
generally known as ‘scientific’ as if only by scientific methods can we reach
the truth about the past. We do not accept any version of the past of mankind
which cannot be proved with documents and material evidence. Divine revelations
that came to prophets are always ignored because of several reasons. Some people
believe revelations to be true and some don’t. It becomes a matter of faith and
not a matter which can be proved demonstratively to have happened. Moreover,
even if we accept the revelations to be true, can we accept all that is claimed
to have been revealed to be genuine? The Qur’an challenges many of
what the Jews claimed to be true about some prophets to have been
fabrications by later generations .
The truth or falsehood of what was
claimed to have been revelations could only be verified by later revelations.
This was done by the revelations that came to the Prophet of Islam, peace and
blessings of Allah be on him. From the purely modern scientific point of view
the Prophet’s life and activities have been analysed and verified. Therefore
from the modern historical point of view, revelations stored up in the
form of the Qur’an are to be regarded as something genuine. Whether they came from
Allah or not depends on a person’s faith in Islam. We cannot compel a
non-Muslim to accept revelations to be true. Our methods of determining the scope
of history with the help of revelations cannot there- fore be regarded as a
universally acceptable method.
Some scholars get very worried because of the restricted recognition of
the validity of the revelations. They feel that the so-called ‘scientific’
method is the only valid method be- cause this method confines our attention to
something solid and never asks us to travel in the unknown. 2 But this method by
its very nature is highly materialistic in character. Just because some people
do not have faith and cannot believe in revelations, just because some people
are atheists should we ignore our past as revealed to us by Allah Himself? As
we are Muslims, revelations should be regarded as a valid means of knowing the
past of mankind. It is true that by doing so we are dragging in faith as a
means of construct- ing the history of Man. Why we should not do so I do not understand
unless it is our weakness in our faith. Those who God said this especially about the Jews.
There are many verses in the Quran such
as Sura 2: 40-42. See also Sura 2:79: “cursed be those who write books
themselves and later on say that they have come from God”.
Scientific historians emerged first in Germany. In England this tendency became popular in the late 19th
century do not believe in the existence of God or who cannot accept the concept
of a Divine plan in history need not be convinced, nor need we worry about
them. The Prophet of Islam, peace be upon him, proved beyond all doubt the
validity of all truths about human life revealed to him through the word of
Allah which we find enshrined in the Quran. We must therefore accept the past
of mankind revealed to us by Allah and thus we should go back to revelations in
order to reconstruct the history of Man on this earth.
Range and Scope
The range and scope of this past embrace the whole of mankind from Man’s
first advent on the earth till doomsday. The future of mankind is not the
primary concern of history.
That aspect of human life falls within the scope only of religion. But
the past of mankind narrated in the Qur’an and further explained in the sayings
of the Prophet should be considered as portions of human history.
This range has certain characteristics which are at variance with the
history that man’s limited investigations into his own past have revealed.
Instead of accepting religious statements modern historians have borrowed from biology
the concept of evolution, from anthropology the concept of races, from sociology
the concept of social change and hence the evolution of civilisations and
cultures and from archaeology the cultural patterns of Man in dif- ferent ages
. 3 As they know that new investigations may bring to light new facts which may
compel them to alter or modify their previous conjectures and conclusions, historians
consider their early findings about early Man about whom there is no written
record as not final. They do not The impact of these forces can be seen even in
the Study of History by Toynbee in spite of the fact that he focused attention
on eternal values manifested in history consider God’s statements as valid
because they have nothing tangible to prove or disprove them. In other words, their
complete denial of the past as presented in the Quran nothing less than sheer
arrogance and a proof of their lack of faith. But they want to avoid such
discussion be- cause they try to assert that they are ready to talk of Man’s past
from what they could find and verify or analyse. In other words, the knowledge
that Allah has given to Man through His Prophet is not regarded as acceptable
know- ledge. As a result there is hardly any similarity between the two images
of the past of mankind. As both of them are covering the same ground and
presenting the image of Man from his earliest days till today, the variations and
con- flicts become glaring and the philosophical bases of the two need
investigation. A glance at the two images would focus our attention on the
basic areas of similarity
If we leave the pre-earthly image as something beyond the scope of the
history of Man on this earth, we get the image of the first man and his wife,
Adam and Eve, and his children. Adam is a completely new creation endowed with
spiritual knowledge and blessed with the duty of a Prophet for his children. We
do not get any details about his life. We are informed of his two sons, Abel
and Cain. The next picture is of human corruption and the destruction of all unbelievers
by a great flood at the time of another Prophet, Noah.
From the Quran it appears that there was a time when all people were of
the same color. But Allah divided them into different groups having different colors
because he wanted that they should know each other and through that knowledge
understand the purpose of creation and the glory of Allah.
From Noah till the last Prophet there is a continuous line of Prophet hood
and human history, with the rise and fall of nations integrally related to
faith and Man’s behavior, his acceptance or denial of the Message that Allah had
sent through His prophets. Political authority is shown to have been linked up
with the moral and spiritual conduct
of Man. The life of the last Prophet, peace be upon him, proves beyond
all doubt that all authority ultimately be- longs to Allah. He chooses those
who obey Him and fight for His cause. When a nation disobeys Allah and upsets the
code of life granted by Him then Allah sends warnings to that nation in the
form of natural calamities. But if the nation does not repent and becomes more
hard-hearted then He sends human beings to destroy those people. He also sows
the seeds of discord among those nations which give
up His code and proudly and arrogantly pose to be self- sufficient.
There is thus a Divine plan in history. Increase in wealth or a higher
standard of living does not mean real happiness. Real happiness consists in pure
living, in humility, in resignation to the Will of Allah, and in fighting in
His path in order to establish His kingdom on the earth. Any nation that
becomes morally degenerated is bound to all and loses its greatness.
The Modern Image
A modern historian would present the first human being or the first group
of human beings as having emerged through a biological process, how we do not
know. Instead of being a Man endowed with knowledge and of his being a Prophet,
the first man, so the historian conjectures, must have been a primitive’
creature, intellectually stunted, and culturally blind. Psychologists and social
anthropologists like Jung and others have drawn inferences from their limited
observations and formulated this theory about the ‘primitive Man’ and his
consciousness. It has now become a fashionable concept.
Once they accept the theory of ‘primitive’ consciousness, it is logical
and legitimate for these scholars to formulate a theory about the growth of
‘modern’ consciousness. This
theory has been successfully propounded and used. It is now common
knowledge’ that as Man goes on discovering new things in and about the universe
and about their physical selves and as he goes on inventing ever-newer instruments
of civilization, his life becomes more and more ‘complex’, his mind grows and
develops and his values change and go on changing. From a study only of the
exter- nal changes and changes in the instruments of civilization, these
scholars have concluded about inner change in Man and change in his consciousness
about values. They have also denuded values of their absolute framework and
made them entirely relative. They forget that neither has Man be- come a more
improved creature biologically, or been able to become a superman mentally or
intellectually or from the point of view of those aspects of human personality
which are essential for living, love and charity. They cannot deny the fact
that there has been no change in man’s response to love, kindness, mercy,
charity, self-sacrifice, forgiveness, justice, honesty, truthfulness. Man’s
reaction to injustice, ruthlessness, lies and bribery remains the same.
Similarly a man has not become more aware and more truthful or a more just
person because he can travel by a jet plane today. The complexity is of
situations and not of values.
According to the Qur’anic concept of Man, therefore, the evolution of civilizations
does not indicate a growth from primitivity to modernity in so far as values are
concern- ed. On the other hand, the Qur’an divides Man’s existence on this
earth into three sections. The first section is comprised of the period that
extends from Adam to Muhammad, peace be on them, that is, from the first
prophet to the last prophet of Islam. The second section extends from the
period of the Khulafa’ -Rashidun till the regeneration of Man after the Second
coming of Jesus, peace be on him. The third section shows man’s gradual
downfall till he loses all consciousness of values and the whole human race and
the creation are destroyed by God.
The history of Man presented in the first section is shown to have been
governed by a cyclic process. Man is constantly invaded by material prosperity
and moral depravity. Some races were therefore destroyed by God and some are
shown to have been regenerated by prophets.
The history of the Israelites shows this pattern very clearly. They went astray
several times and received penalty from God through defeats and captivation.
Again some new Pro- phets led them to victory and spiritual regeneration and worldly
glory. Thus the rise and fall of nations and races are shown to be integrally
related to their obedience or disobedience to the code of life given to them by
God.
That is why God repeatedly asks us to go round the earth and see what had
happened to past generations and learn a Lesson
But the lesson that a modern archaeologist and a his- torian learn from
such a tour or from all excavations and analysis is very different from the
lesson that Allah wants us to learn. They analyse the past, reconstruct it as
far as it is possible for them to do so but they never try to see or find any
divine purpose in the rise and fall of nations. They try to investigate the
cause of the fall of such nations or the rise of other nations within the orbit
of purely worldly and matter-of-fact existence. God and His laws do not seem to
play any role in human existence. Man’s own machinations, his
opportunities and experiments, his endeavors and superiority or inferiority, in
strategy or tactics or diplomacy seem to be the only causes of his victory or
downfall.
The Qur’an teaches us a completely different lesson. The cause of the
suffering that the Muslims incurred at the battle of Uhud has been stated to be
their greed and a false sense of arrogance and superiority and a consequent
dis- obedience to the order of the Prophet, peace be on him . 6 Similarly the
victory of Talut against Jalut and the Philistines did not depend on number of
weapons or better All authority belongs to Allah alone. (Qur'an, 3: 21-30)
‘Already before your time have
precedents been made. Traverse the earth then, and see what has been the end of
those who falsify the signs of God’. Qur'an 3: 136.
. Qur’an 3 : 149-171. About God's special help in the battle of Badr see
Qur’an 8 : 1-30.
strategy . 7 It depended on sheer faith in God and complete dependence on
His help and guidance. Similarly suffering came to the Israelites and they had
to wonder in deserts and hills for forty years just because they did not
believe that they could win victory against the Canaanites. They disobeyed
Moses, peace be on him, and ignored his entreat- ies. 8 Otherwise they would
have won because this was the promised land for them. Thus it was their
cowardice, and purely materialistic analysis of the situation in which they found
themselves weak in number, physical strength and military strategy that prevented
them from following the instructions of Moses, peace be on him. Not that
military strategy should be ignored. But the ultimate victory does not depend
on strategy alone. It depends on Man’s faith and sincerity. The world is presented
in the Qur’an as a moral world in which Allah wants the values to be upheld. He
helps that nation which upholds those values.
When we therefore study the past, we invariably find this principle
governing the life of Man. The destruction of ‘Ad and Thamud has been presented
in the Qur’an . 9 If we apply principle to the contemporary world we shall see
that this principle is intensely operative. If we take the two world wars, we
are compelled to admit that victory was granted by God to the side which was
morally superior. But corruption, loss of basic values and the giving up of religious
principles are now ruining their lives. Their society is facing complete
disruption. Their sense of security that a peaceful home-life used to give
them, their respect for the individual and the family-life - all these are
almost gone.
Prostitution, even incest have been legalised. Though they have a lot of
wealth, they do not have any peace of mind. An extremely vicious circle of
inflation, price-rises and wage-increases is squeezing the last ounce of
happiness from social life. Allah has clearly indicated in the Qur’an that He
has fixed a time-limit for these nations. He allows them to follow their lusts
till a saturation point is reached. He then showers destruction on such people.
England ruled half the world because of all the rising races inthenineteenth
cen- tury this race was the most honest and just. The English middle-class was
upholding the values of chastity, truth honesty, charity and justice more than
any other nation or country. That was why those who established their empire were
impeached in their parliament. Now that the same nation has become spiritually
apologetic and morally degenerate in sex, they are ruining their basic fiber of
honesty, breaking their secure home-life and have already started suffering the
consequences, of insecurity and goallessness. This race has lost its undisputed
leadership. In spite of this, it still upholds certain basic values which
religion preaches such as non-racialism, independence and justice. But sexual degeneration
leads to a sense of irresponsibility which automatically leads to extreme
selfishness and hence to a loss of charity, righteousness and love for others.
These forces of evil are eating the roots of this nation. That is why Nazism
has already lured away a group of young men and women who are trying to destroy
all those values which this society used to uphold. The formation of such a
Front indicates the victory of narrow racialism, and all the future dread of
injustice and corruption that follow such a victory.
Twenty years ago it would have been impossible to form such a Front and
parade its presence in public. That they can now do so indicates their victory
and hence the weakening of the fibre of justice. I only hope that this victory
does not gain more adherents. The protests against this group indicate that the
fibre of this nation is not completely ruined. But it is difficult for us to ascertain
how far the upholding of some values would be able to counterbalance the
destruction of other values. Allah has repeatedly said that wealth does not
indicate real peace and prosperity. It is given some- times as a trial,
sometimes to create further trouble. Some
European countries have a lot of wealth but their society has become
tolerant of unfaith and sexual corruption of the worst sort. The very fabric of
humanity is at stake. Many western scholars have started lamenting this fate
and are unable to give a viable solution. The only solution is a return to
Faith and a reassertion of the code of life granted by Allah. But as none of the
European nations including Soviet Russia is at all interested in those principles,
it seems that Allah has sown in them the seed of discord and would allow this
conflict to flourish till they destroy them- selves or return to the fold of
Islam and become regenerated.
The Metaphysics
We have so far discussed the past as envisaged in the Qur’an. God has
created Man in order to see him realize his true greatness through the
principle of worship. And the basic principle of worship is ingrained in the
code of life granted to Man by God. So long as Man maintains pre- serves and
upholds this code, God promises to grant him victory, glory and greatness. In
the political field it means the granting of political authority. Only by
getting that authority can Man make that code prevail in the society. If Man
does not support that principle, God will allow Man some respite but a time will
invariably come when he will totally destroyed.
The second principle operative in human history is the continuous renewal
of values through the emergence of Prophets and, after the last Prophet,
through the emergence of Reformers who would remind Man of his essential great-
ness and how he can achieve that. If a society wants to continue to live and
avoid the wrath of God, if it wants to survive in spite of temptations in the
form of corruptions, vices and all forms of evil, it must from time to time re-
assert Absolute values. History of nations becomes the history of continuous
regenerations and continuous conflict between good and evil.
The third principle that the Qur’anic view of history asserts is the
difference that exists between material progress and moral standards. Morality
is based on Absolute values. They are immutable. Social change therefore does
not affect values. It only forces people to lay more emphasis on certain values
and less emphasis on others because circumstances demand such treatment. From
the point of view of history therefore social changes lead to occasional shifting
of emphasis and not to a rejection of values or a reinterpretation of them.
The Qur’anic concept of History therefore differs fundamentally from the
Marxist concept and the Christian concept and to a large extent from the Judaic
concept. The Marxist concept is based on a purely materialistic view of the universe.
There seems to be a mysteriously holy purpose, a natural urge towards the
establishment of a universal order where there is no exploitation, and no
division of mankind into rich and poor or high and low. Marx tries to prove
that such a dream-world will come through because of the basic economic process
of life. He then analyses the past and tries to show how all values including
religion and religious values are entirely dependent on the process of economic
evolution. It is an inevitable economic process of history.
As the Islamic concept is based on a completely different concept of man
and values there is no point in comparing these two concepts or in trying to
demolish the unsound foundation of this thesis. In trying to do so we would be
involved in the discussion of Marxist philosophy from the point of view of
Islam. As the fundamentals of these two approaches are completely different all
that can be done now is to point out this difference which we have already
done.
As regards the Jewish concept of history, the basic concept which governs
it is that the Jews are the chosen people and authority should ultimately
belong to them. Just as they denied Jesus, they denied Muhammad, peace be on them.
Their interpretation of the past takes into account the concept of values, the
concept of a Divine purpose in history but somehow they want to limit the power
of Divinity by falsifying the predictions of their own prophets who had told
them of the coming of the Prophet of Islam. They hope that one day God will again
give complete authority, His chosen race. They have so far failed to reply to
the challenge of the Qur’an that Allah is sending suffering to
them because of their transgressions in the past and transgressions even
now.
The Christian concept is very different. History is seen as a long process
making the stage ready for God to become Man so that Man may be redeemed. All
historical events of the past therefore were events leading to the emergence of
Christ. His crucifixion is the central event in human history. Human history is
divided by them into two sections - events leading to the crucifixion and from
crucifixion till Doomsday.
Here again, the theological concept is fundamentally different. The moral
order is the same as that of the Muslims, the principle of the relationship
between the good life and the restoration of authority to a financially
crippled group is not the same.
The Qur’anic concept therefore differs basically from the Jewish and the
Christian concepts in spite of their similar moral framework. It does not oppose
scientific investigations. It only wants the scientific findings and theories
to be verified in the light of Islam.