UNDERSTANDING THE MODERN AGE

The God given right of freedom of choice will not be abrogated till the Day of Judgment. or bad, significant or petty. War and the accompanying violence and destruction driven by political ambition to dominate and exploit, aggression produced by a materialistic mentality, exploitation and various ills produced by the relentless pursuit of personal and communal interests; are all examples of the negative use of freedom. The positives are several—democracy, scientific discoveries, and great literary works have benefited humanity immensely. But to lump together all the undesirable elements and label them as a definite ‘Western agenda’ would be unrealistic. A balanced evaluation should consider both aspects. A lopsided view could end in choking freedom. The result would be the classic case of throwing away the baby with the bathwater. If this notion of an ‘agenda’ is accepted as true, the same analysis would apply to Muslim history. Critics might claim that while Islam championed the oneness of God, it has established hereditary rule in the name of the Caliphate, promoted internecine conflict on the basis of different interpretations of Islam, promoting ill-will against nonMuslim peoples by manufacturing the notion of Dar-ul-Islam (Abode of Islam) and Dar-ul-Kufr (Abode of disbelief). Clearly, it is important to differentiate between the revolution brought about by Islam and those issues that became associated with it because of the exercise of human free-will. Labelling of the latter as a part of the ‘agenda of Islam’ is, therefore, incorrect. In the same way, it is also incorrect to conflate the undesirable elements associated with modern Western civilization, and to label them as a ‘Western agenda’. Revolutions bring in new thinking, some may be desirable and some not. The former measure up to an ideal standard; the latter, on account of the exercise of human freedom, come to be associated with the revolution. God has blessed human beings with the freedom to choose. This right will not be abrogated till the Day of Judgment. This freedom is termed ‘the Trust’ in the Quran (33: 72). Human beings are free to use this Godgiven freedom as they wish, with or without others approval. The use of free-will is visible in all activities in our lives. Both Muslim and modern Western civilization have explored this freedom. To properly understand human history, this factor must be given due consideration. o