7. Islam at the Crossroads – Conclusion
The book “Islam at Crossroads” by Muhammad Asad deals with the fall of the Muslim world. It laments the imitation of the West which is in its spirit (materialistic) diametrically opposite to the Islamic spirit (spiritual and harmony between subtle and mundane). It argues that the imitation of the West can only be at the cost of Islam, the two being incompatible. It discusses the attitude the Muslims must adopt towards the West. It further argues that the practical aspect of the spirit of Islam lies in the Sunnah of the Prophet, which has been shunned for the visible impossibility of implementing its seemingly trivial aspects in life, the weakening of these foundations has weakened the cultural structure. It argues that adherence to Sunnah and the conscious acknowledgment of that exercise will bring the Ummah out of its lethargy.
The Book can be divided into the following parts:
- Islamic Foundations are Moral in Nature [Click to Open]
- The Spirit of the West is Practical Utility and Dynamic Expansion alone [Click to Open]
- Historical Experiences [Click to Open]
- Western Education and its Imitation [Click to Open]
- Westernization is the reason for the onslaught on Hadith and Sunnah [Click to Open]
- Sunnah and its Spirit [Click to Open]
- Conclusion [Click to Open]
After discussing the spiritual incompatibility between Islam and the West, Asad moves on to draw from Historical experiences which he argues are deeply tinged by a strange animosity against Islam. Having done that he discusses Western Education and what it means for the Muslims to imitate it. Then Asad moves on to discuss the importance of Sunnah in the revival of he civilization. He first discusses the “Objective Necessity” for a Muslim to follow the Sunnah, this he does by differentiating between “reason” and “rationalism”, having discarded rationalism and shown the limit of reason, he shows the place of reason and the reason for why we need a Prophet. He then moves on to show the reasons for the institution of Sunnah, their role within religious and social structure of Islam. Then Muhammad Asad makes the following conclusion:
- Civilizations resemble Organisms – They are born, they have youth, ripe age and then they end.
- Is this the case with Islam too?
- Resignation, on the life of nations and cultures, means death. Is Islam a “spend force” that has outlived its usefulness?
- If we believe Islam is not a mere culture, one among many others, if we believe that it is based on revealed law then it can’t be chained to time.
- What appears to be the death of Islam is in reality the death of Muslim hearts and character.
- Is this the case with Islam too?
- Islam viz a viz the West.
- The West has not been able to present a better ethical system. It hasn’t given us brotherhood. It has not been able to enhance the dignity of man, his feeling of security, his spiritual hope or his happiness.
- If Islam has done all this, how can it be “out of date”?
- Islam offers a programme of life that is more complete, more concrete, more congenial to man’s psychological constitution.
- Reform vs Revival.
- Islam doesn’t need reform as it is perfect in itself.
- What is needed is revival for which we need to reform our attitude towards religion.
- Biggest problem is lack of belief among our intellectual circles.
- No intellectual courage remains, no will to resist or to avert that torrent of foreign influences destructive to our religion and society.
- New Fiqh is to be developed based on Shariah in the light of our own understanding of the original sources of Quran and Sunnah.
- What is to be done?
- Step 1: Shed the spirit of “apology” for Islam.
- Step 2: Conscious and deliberate following the Sunnah.
- This is possible only when we regain self-confidence.
- It won’t be possible if we destroy our social institutions and imitate a foreign civilization.
“Verily in the Apostle of God you have the best example for everyone who looks forward towards God and the Day of Judgement” (Quran)
2 Comments
asbiyat
Last line brought tears to my eyes. Indeed it’s light(Prophet Muhammad SAW) which lights the dark trails of the way that is infront of us.
What is the context of “New Fiqh is to be developed based on Shariah in the light of our own understanding of the original sources of Quran and Sunnah.”? Does Asad argue that there is need for a new Madhab or it is argument for the extension of fiqh of established Madhabs to incorporate and introduce the ruling about new ideas and the material those ideas have bought while abiding by the framework of madhab to judge in the light of light of divine law and Prophetic (SAW) traditions?
Sull Kaak
Just before saying what you are asking the question about, Asad sahab says, “The impracticable propositions which are today put forward by a self-styled “orthodoxy”, as postulates of Islam are in most cases nothing but contentional interpretations of the of the original postulates on the basis of the Neo-Platonic logic which might have been “modern”, that is workable in the second or third century of the Hijrah, but is extremely out-of-date now”.
What it seems to me is that Asad sahab differentiates (and I believe rightly so) between Shariah, which is immutable and divine, and Fiqh (which is based on our understanding of Shariah, catering to current exegencies). What I think Asad sahab is saying is that we have to remove the think layers that have been built over Shariah over ages which have turned the structure rigid and in the light of modern knowledge our young rightly criticise it wrongly thinking that it is the eternal shariah they are criticising.
You may find a similar thought in one of my own writtings that I highly recommend and seek your views upon. It is called “Culture, Religion and the Modern Muslim Man” and the link to the write-up is https://www.sullkaak.com/2021/11/culture-religion-and-the-modern-muslim-man/
Thanks for the comment.
Fee Amanillah