Revival of Islam in the Modern Age

All the best qualities found in western nations in modern times are linked with this urge to explore. The western nations may be said to have discovered the world in the scientific, as opposed to the traditional sense, and it is this urge to understand all aspects of truth which has produced individuals of such high calibre in western nations. The same was true of the companions of the Prophet in the first phase of Islam. God’s religion came to them as a discovery: Islam as against jahiliyah (period of ignorance); monotheism as against shirk; Akhirah (Hereafter) as against this present world. It was this which was responsible for producing those extraordinary qualities in them. If today the campaign of Islamic revival is to be effectively launched once again, such people will have to come forward as conceive of Islam as a fresh discovery rather than as an inheritance by birth. 2. Islam came to the world fourteen hundred years ago, setting in motion historical processes marked by cultural grandeur and political conquests. Those who call themselves Muslims today are the products of those processes. But any group of people which has such a brilliant past is invariably preoccupied with its recent history. It fails to go back through history to drink afresh from the original springs of inspiration. This is true of Muslims today. The Muslims of present times, consciously or unconsciously, derive their religion from history instead of from the Qur’an and sunnah, the true sources of Islam. This is why Islam has become for the Muslims of today a matter not of responsibility but of pride. This psychology so pervades their thoughts and actions that its effects are visible everywhere. Islam as set forth in the Qur’an and the hadith stands out as a religion of responsibility and accountability, but if viewed in the mirror of its cultural and political history, it appears to be an object of pride and glory. All the great revolutionary movements of Muslims in modern times have been influenced by this sense of pride. That is why they all lost their original lustre after very brief periods of activity. This is because a sense of pride leads one to showy activities, while a sense of accountability leads one to genuinely serious action. For any campaign of Islamic revival to be effectively managed, its promoters should have derived Islam from the original teachings in the Qur’an and the hadith rather than from the cultural and political history of later times. Only those who have derived their religion from the Qur’an and the hadith can sustain a true campaign in all seriousness and with a sense of responsibility.