lend a HAND or lead the WAY
Number 7, July 2008
Islamization of Knowledge
Mohammad Allam
A follower cannot lead the leaders whom he follows. This is basic commonsense. Today we see how the communities of the world are trying to emulate the Western ways of life in their totality. The surprising aspect is that the followers of a religion, which is avowedly supposed to lead the world from jehalat to civilization, are also trying to follow the West blindly.
In terms of managing knowledge from its inception to application why do Muslims not try to start their own course of knowledge explosion instead of trying to follow the path carved out by the West. By walking such a path Muslims cannot go ahead of the creators of the path, can they? To go ahead of them, the answer is to begin with our own path. For this, there is a need to start the Islamization of the past and the present knowledge that is to say of ‘ilm’, in all its manifestations. More emphasis should be given on the blending of Science and Islamic values and on finding a practical way to meet the challenges of the modern age. The Muslims around the world are facing problems with regard to maintaining of cordial relations with others which is expected otherwise, of a God given dynamic religion like Islam. Due to our negligence in developing our own system of modern education, the West has been able to succeed in crushing the Islamic spirit by introducing its own values and standards in the world of Islam. These Western intellectual jargons have helped to produce Muslim scholars on a large scale, who are actually non-Muslim in taste, though they are of Muslim blood. These scholars are now purporting to present the true version of Islam but are actually destroying Islam from within. The emergence of communist comrades and socialist workers amongst Muslims are results of Western influence to de-Islamize the world of Islam by monopolizing the world of knowledge in general.
To counter this internal threat and protect the future generation, there is a need for Islamization of the world of Islam on a massive scale. The humble beginning can be made by removing all those day to day terminologies from religion of Islam which were deliberately imposed by the West to trample upon the spirit of Islam such as the use of MOSQUE in place of MASJID, PRAYER in place of SALAT, MECCA in place of MAKKA, FASTING in place of ROZA etc. By gradually Islamizing the world of knowledge we will have a purer Islamic culture which will pave way for revival of the Islamic principles, not only in form but also in spirit. It will also give us a different route to reach our high destination and force the West to come to reasonable terms with the Islamic civilization. In terms of science and technology the aims and objectives should be changed to align with the Islamic teachings. And Insha Allah we will march in progress with responsibility, unlike the West which created nuclear technology and nuked Hiroshima and Nagasaki, captured the media and the market to create inequality everywhere. The aim of Islamic knowledge shall not be the filling of the coffers of MNC but the welfare of humanity irrespective of nation, cast, creed or color. So let us start a massive march, because Islam has the ideological capacity to do it.
Mr. Allam is a free lance writer from A.M.U, Aligarh
From Doctor’s...
WHAT CAN THE PATIENTS DO?
ake all heart and blood pressure medications as prescribed by your doctor. Stop smoking and strictly limit intake of alcohol. Maintain a healthy weight and follow a balanced, low-salt, nutritious diet. Exercise may be advisable, but consult with doctor first. Reduce and learn to manage stress.
Mr. Shams is a Doctor and is a regular contributor to Bakhabar.
A world wide survey was conducted by the UN. The only question asked was:
'Would you please give your honest opinion about solutions to the food shortage in the rest of the world?'
The survey was a huge failure,
In Africa they didn't know what 'food' meant,
In India they didn't know what 'honest' meant,
In Europe they didn't know what 'shortage' meant,
In China they didn't know what 'opinion' meant,
In the Middle East they didn't know what 'solution' meant,
In South America they didn't know what 'please' meant,
And In the USA they didn't know what 'the rest of the world' meant!