Thoughts: Meaning of 'Civilisation'

There is a difference between the hadharah (civilisation) and the madaniyah (material aspect of culture). The hadharah constitutes the whole concepts about life whereas the madaniyah means the material forms of sensed objects(SMS,internet,motorbike and the like) used in daily life affairs. The hadharah is based on a particular point of view in life and therefore it is specific. The madaniyah can be of two kinds: specific or universal.
 

Objects such as statues are specific and thus are a product of a specific hadharah. Material aspects produced by science and its progress, industry and its evolution, are general and thus are not particular to a specific nation, rather they are universal.

This distinction between hadharah and madaniyah must always be recognised and maintained. One must also be aware of the forms resulting from hadharah and the madaniyah forms resulting from science and industry. Therefore, when adopting an object of madaniyah, a distinction between its forms and the differentiation from hadharah must be clear. There should be no objection in acquiring the Western madaniyah resulting from science, industry, etc. However, Western madaniyah resulting from the Western hadharah must not be adopted on any account because we are not allowed to adopt the Western hadharah for it contradicts the Islamic hadharah from the very basis upon which it is established, its point of view in life, and its understanding of the meaning of human happiness.

The Western hadharah is established upon the separation of religion from life and it denies religion from having any impact on any of life's affairs and hence it separated religion from the state. This result is natural for those who separate religion from life and deny its impact in life. It was on this basis that the life and the System of Life were built. Its hadharah views the entire life as the pursuit of benefit. Thus, its standard for action in life is the benefit. Therefore, benefit is the basis upon which the system is established and the hadharah is built. Benefit is the most prominent and apparent concept in its system and in the western hadharah. Happiness in their view is constantly seeking and experiencing sensual gratification. It follows that the Western hadharah is established on the desire to reap benefits and gives no consideration or even recognition to anything except benefit, thus rendering it the measure of actions. (That's why they don't feel any remorse for carpet bombing and killing innocent people just for a drop of oil!)

The spiritual side is restricted to the individual and is not part of the social order. The spiritual affair of man is confined to the church and clergy. Consequently, there are no moral, spiritual or humanitarian values in the Western hadharah, rather only materialistic ones. Owing to this, humanitarian actions became affiliated to organisations separated from the state, such as the Red Cross and the missionaries. Every value, apart from the chief materialistic value of benefit was excluded from life. The Western hadharah consists of such concepts about life.

As for the Islamic hadharah, it is established upon the basis contradicting the Western hadharah. Its view about life and meaning of happiness are different from the Western hadharah. The Islamic hadharah is built upon the belief in Allah and that He has established a system for man, life, and the universe. He (saw) sent Muhammad (saw) with Islam as the one and only Deen for mankind. This means that the Islamic hadharah is established on the Islamic aqeedah, comprising the belief in Allah (swt), His (swt) Angels, His (swt) Books, His (swt) Messengers, the Hereafter, and al-Qadaa wal Qadar. Thus, the Aqeedah is the basis of the hadharah and consequently the hadharah is founded upon a spiritual basis.

Life in the Islamic hadharah is viewed from the outlook of Islam which emanates from the Islamic doctrine or Aqeedah. The way of life and actions are both established upon this Aqeedah. Viewing the mixing of matter and spirit as mans actions conducted by the ahkam Shariah constitute the Islamic outlook on life.

While mans actions are material, his observation of the relationship with Allah (swt) when he undertakes the action as haram or halal constitutes the spirit (ruh). It means that the mixing of matter with spirit has taken place. Accordingly, the commands of Allah (swt) regulate the actions of a Muslim. The Muslims ultimate objective in carrying out his actions in accordance with the commands of Allah (swt) is the attainment of Allah's (swt) pleasure and not benefit.

However, the immediate end in undertaking the action is the sought after value, which differs according to the type of action. The value may be materialistic for the person who engages in commerce or trade to make a profit, the exerted labour constituting a material action. Simultaneously, the person is guided by his awareness of his relationship with Allah (swt) through the commands of Allah (swt), thus seeking the pleasure of Allah (swt).

The value may be spiritual, such as prayer, zakat, fasting or pilgrimage. The value may be moral or ethical, such as upholding the truth, being honest, or exhibiting loyalty. The value could be humanitarian, such as rescuing a drowning person or helping the poor.

These values are sought by man when he undertakes the action. These values should not be viewed as the driving force for mans action nor as the ultimate objective. They should be viewed only as the specific action which differs according to the type of action.

Happiness is attaining Allah's (swt) pleasure and not the fulfilment of mans needs. Satisfying all such needs: organic needs and instinctual desires, are an essential means to sustain oneself, but happiness is not guaranteed by their fulfilment. In summary, this is the Islamic view about life on the basis of which lies the outlook which is the Islamic hadharah.

It is obvious that the Islamic hadharah contradicts the Western hadharah in every sense. Objects falling under the madaniyah objects resulting from hadharah which is specific to the Islamic hadharah contradict the first type of madaniyah which is specific to the Western hadharah. For example, a pornography by itself is a concept of western hadharah. The Western hadharah considers the photograph of a naked woman consistent about its view about women. Thus, an individual from the West views the nude photograph to be a piece of art which he could take pride in and a piece of art when it accomplishes artistic conditions. However, this object of madaniyah contradicts with the Islamic hadharah and the Islamic view about women which considers women as an honour that must be protected. Consequently, such nude photographs are to be prevented, because they provoke the sexual drive which triggers moral laxity in the society. Likewise, if a Muslim was to build a house, another object of madaniyah, he would have to take into consideration the women inside to not be exposed to those outside. Accordingly, the Muslim encloses the house with a wall and is sensitised to the positioning of windows, but the Western individual pays no attention to these attributes of a house because the hadharah he adopts.

This applies to all objects of civilisation produced by the Western hadharah, such as statues, clothing, etc. If clothing is part of the deen of the unbelievers, the Muslims are then forbidden to wear them because they carry a specific viewpoint on life. However, if the clothing is not part of the way of life of the unbelievers and are used for their practicality and utility, they are considered to be a universal object of madaniyah permissible for use by the Muslims.

Objects of madaniyah which are products of science and industry such as laboratory equipment, medical and industrial tools, furniture, carpet, etc. are all universal objects of madaniyah. The use of such objects which do not result from the hadharah are permissible.

A glance at the Western hadharah which casts its long dark shadows over the world reveals that it cannot guarantee tranquillity for man. On the contrary, the Western hadharah is the cause for man's deep rooted misery. This hadharah which adopts as its basis the separation of religion from life's affairs, thus giving no weight to the spiritual aspect in the social order, and it depicts life only as the fulfilment of desires and makes the attainment of benefit(oil and gas in Afghanistan,Iraq for example) as the foundation for a relationship between men.

This inevitably will produce nothing but perpetual misery and anxiety. As long as benefit is the basis, conflict over it will naturally increase and the reliance on force to establish relationships between people will be natural. Thus, colonisation is natural to the followers of this hadharah and since benefit alone constitutes the basis of life, any semblance of ethics will be unstable. Hence, it is natural for any good ethics to be shunned in life in the same way that the spiritual values were neglected and life established upon competition, struggle, aggression and colonialism. The spiritual crisis in the people, perpetual anxiety and widespread evil all over the world today serve as glaring and oppressively clear indictments of this Western hadharah it results in. It has dominated the world and has led to such grave results and consequently have constituted a great danger to the normal functioning of humanity.

A survey of the Islamic hadharah which dominated the world from the seventh century CE until the end of the eighteenth century CE reveals that it had no colonialist character. Indeed, colonialism is alien to Islam's nature, since it did not differentiate between the Muslims and other peoples in terms of meting out justice and securing rights for all people who submitted to it throughout its reign. It is a hadharah established upon a spiritual basis which fulfils all the values: materialistic, spiritual, moral, and humanitarian. The aqeedah is given the utmost importance in life, which is depicted as being governed by the commands of Allah (swt). Islam views happiness solely as the attainment of Allah's (swt) pleasure. When this Islamic hadharah dominates again, as it did before, it will guarantee resolving the crisis confronting the world and the welfare of humanity.