Living in a Material World

One confusion which arises amongst some people is that how, on the one hand democracy, capitalism and the policies of the west are kufr and yet we still use their technologies such as the internet, mobile phones and cars. Is this not haram? Additionally, some condemn the Khilafah as being regressive or anti-technological. Former US assistant secretary of state, James Rubin said in an interview “Muslim resentment of the West will evaporate when they are free and fed”, he continued, “… Do you really want to live in Bin Laden Land, a Stone Age Islamic caliphate with no rights, no economy and no future? I am confident the answer will be no.” Is James Rubin right, or does Islam have something to say on the ‘technological revolution?’

There is a difference between hadharah (civilisation) and madaniyyah (material progress). Material objects arising from the hadharah are specific to a civilisation and define a particular outlook towards life. Hence a statue such as those being worshipped by the Quraysh, or in contemporary times such as those being worshipped by Hindu’s, epitomise something which represents a particular ideological viewpoint. To make use of these objects which represent a foreign hadharah to the Islamic one is haram (prohibited) as it contradicts the Islamic outlook on life.

However, madaniyyah is not specific to any civilisation and is universal. Material aspects arising from science and its advancement or from industry and its evolution are not specific to any particular civilisation or ideology. Consequently mobile phones, laptops and the internet all stem from scientific enquiry which is universal to man and not limited to the west alone. Hence it is wrong to equate technology or science as something which may be ‘western’ or ‘kufr.’

This distinction should be very clear and at the forefront of our minds. Whilst we may adopt from the western madaniyyah those things which arise from science, industry etc. we must never adopt from her hadharah.

Hence using a car to go and buy a computer is allowed whilst bringing home a statue of an idol to adorn pride of place on your mantelpiece is not. In the first instance a computer does not represent any particular ideological outlook or view whilst in the later example a statue typifies shirk – something which runs totally counter to the Islamic ‘aqeedah.

A final point worth reflecting on is that, madaniyyah alone is no adequate benchmark by which to assess any civilisation. Each and every civilisation can expect to make material progress over time. Consequently penicillin could have just as easily been discovered in China or Nigeria or Bahrain as it was in the west. Unfortunately some Muslims have become smitten with the western madaniyyah and have consequently condemned Islam as being ‘backward’ or anti-technological. Clearly this is not the case and Islam does not oppose technology or industry as such. When we examine the western civilisation we must pull back from examining her madaniyyah and instead, assess the intellectual basis of her civilisation; capitalism, secularism and freedom.

Shiraz Maher
 

comment

The truth of the matter is that scientific and technological development is all very well but it is not the fundamental building block that progress is built upon. For what is far more important is to address the thoughts a nation carries i.e. the process of thinking the majority of its individuals adopt in life affairs by which they make judgements and decisions. Although the Muslim world professes Islam, the Islamic Aqeedah today is not referred to as a comprehensive basis for a set of thoughts which they contrive to use in life. The West is productive ( only in the material sense) because it makes progress in a specific way i.e. according to the man made capitalistic thoughts. In contrast the Islamic Aqeedah are the true thoughts as they originate from the Creator and therefore they are the enlightened thoughts from which if used frequently and successfully, lead to the correct progress, i.e. a sound solution which is compatible with man’s innate nature .

Therefore it is the establishment of the enlightened thought that should be pursued and concentrated upon above all else. This is because with regard to material wealth, scientific discoveries, industrial inventions and the like, all of these are of much lower importance than thoughts. In fact, to gain such matters depends on the thoughts, and preservation of these matters depends on the thoughts as well. After all it was only when the West agreed to separate religion from state and became convinced of capitalism as a way of thinking (referred to in the West as the period of enlightenment), that the Industrial Revolution steamed ahead. Even though they have decayed in all moral, humanitarian and spiritual dimensions, which highlights the dangers of adopting man inspired thoughts.

Similarly when the Arabs and thereafter large numbers of humanity embraced the Islamic aqeedah, the world witnessed the progress that resulted and no civilisation then and since has failed to be impacted by the achievements, scientific discoveries and industrial inventions borne from people and nations adhering to Islam as a way of thinking. Unlike today, where Muslims abandoned Islam as a comprehensive idea, and instead mimicked and experimented with other ideas like socialism / communism and capitalism.

Thus even when the material wealth of the ummah was destroyed, it would have been possible for it to be restored quickly as long as the ummah preserved Islam as an ideology. Instead when Islam was abandoned as a complete set of thoughts, this wealth soon shrunk and the ummah fell down into poverty. If the Muslims had not lost its way of thinking, most of the scientific achievements which were once made could have been regained. But since it lost its specific way of thinking, it regressed and lost its discoveries and inventions. Therefore, it is necessary to take care of the thoughts first.

Many has failed to understand that sadly it is natural for this generation to be seen in poverty, despite the abundance of material resources in its lands. Likewise, it is natural to have no scientific discoveries and industrial inventions even though Muslims study the theories of these discoveries and inventions and are aware of them. This is because it is impossible to rush to gain them unless it has the Islamic thoughts and it is creative in using these thoughts in life. Therefore, the Muslims must establish for themselves thoughts based only on the Islamic Aqeedah(striving for Allah's pleasure and avoiding Allah's Wrath) and to abandon any and all ideas from socialism or capitalism. Only then will they be able to proceed, based on that, to acquire material wealth, make scientific discoveries, and industrial inventions. Unless they do this, they will not proceed a single step; rather they will continue to go around in a vicious circle, exhausting their mental and physical efforts, only to end up exactly where they began.