IIPH (International Islamic Publishing House)

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S lidarity, Tolerance and Equality
in a Nation Built on Shari'ah
journey Through Islamic History
Dr. Mustafa as-Sibå'ee
TERNATIONAL ISLAMIC PUBLISHING HOUSE
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CHAPTER ONE
The Unique Characteristics
of Our Civilization
Some of those who have written about the history of
civilization define civilization as "a social system which helps
man to increase his cultural output. " Civilization consists of four
main elements: economical resources, political systems, moral
traditions and science and arts. The development and progress of a
civilization requires many factors such as geographical and
economic factors, and psychological factors such as religion,
language and education. The collapse ofa civilization stems from
factors which are the opposite of those which lead to its rise and
development; the most important of these destructive factors
include moral and intellectual decadence, lawlessness and
breakdown of social systems, the spread of oppression and
poverty, the spread of pessimism and apathy and the lack of
competent and sincere leaders. The story of civilization began
when man first appeared, and it is a long chain which one civilized
nation passes on to those who come after it. Civilization is not
unique to any one land or race, rather it stems from the factors we
have mentioned above. There is hardly any nation that has not
written some of the pages of the history of civilization, but the
thing that distinguishes one civilization from another is the
strength of the foundation on which it is built, the great influence
that it may have, and the benefits that humanity may enjoy as a
result of its rise. The more universal a civilization is in its
message, the more humane it is in its inclination, the more moral it
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Preface
Dr. 4Adnån Zarzoor
Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the worlds, and blessings and
peace be upon our master Muhammad who was sent as a mercy to
the worlds, and upon his Companions and those who follow his
guidance and preach his call until the Day of judgement. O'
Allah, make us among those who call people to goodness and
tilth, and make us steadfast in following Your straight path, the
path of those on whom You have bestowed Your Grace, not (the
way) of those who earned Your Anger, nor of those who went
astray.
These chapters which were written by our teacher Musgafa as-
Sibä4ie and which speak of the marvels of our civilization — and
how wonderful it is to be connected to such a glorious
civilization! — need no introduction. This book was published
during the lifetime of our teacher (may Allah have mercy on him)
and he himself took on the mission of introducing the book and
explaining the reasons why he wrote and published it.
These chapters were first published seventeen years ago —
when copies of the book were given to some students just before
they graduated from university, to encourage them to strive hard
and pray for steadfastness in adhering to the right path. But when
those original readers come back and read the book again, they
still find that they must write some comments, ideas and thoughts,
in the margins of the book.
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author's Foreword
Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds, and may the
blessings of Allah be upon the builder of the noblest civilization
history has ever known, our master Muhammad, and upon his
family and Companions who built this great civilization with their
blood and striving, to whom everyone who has enjoyed the
blessings Of this civilization owes a debt Of immense gratitude
until the Day of Judgement.
In the current age, which has surpassed all ages ofthe past in
its material developments and scientific discoveries, social
scientists, psychologists and medical doctors in the west stand
helpless in the face of the huge increase in the numbers of people
suffering from nervous disorders. The entire world is enveloped in
an atmosphere of anxiety and fear so great that people —
especially in the advanced countries — cannot even enjoy the life
of rase and luxury that civilization has brought them. Thus, the
dreams that were entenained by scientists and thinkers in the
nineteenth century, that all people would attain happiness because
of their brilliant scientific discoveries, have begun to fade.
It is wotth pointing out that the problem of anxiety and stress
gets worse the easier life becomes for people, The incidence of
mental illness in the developed countries is greater than in the
more backward countries. This is clearly indicated by the statistics
for the United States,
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We are living at a time when western
civilization is at its peak and the Muslim
nations are at their weakest: dazzled by
the power of the west with its wealth,
means and scientific and technological
advantages. Muslims who do not read
history may well be unaware of the fact
that this has not always been the case. A
few hundred years ago, the situation was
just the opposite. The Muslim Nation was
the superpower of the age and Muslims
were the leaders in culture, including the arts, science and
technology. The cities of the Muslim world-which included
Muslim Spain-were centres of learning which attracted people
from far and wide: Christians and Jews. Eurppeans, Africans- and
Asians.
The Muslims at that time had the most technologically advanced
civilization on earth. and the uniqueness of that civilization lies in
the fact that although they achieved a great deal in materialistic
terms, Muslim society remained a compassionate one, where the
poor and disadvantaged were cared for.
This book is a reminder to Muslims that they have a glorious past
and that for many centuries they surpassed other nations in their
level of advancement. They became masters of the world at the
time when they adhered to Islam. When Muslims became
preoccupied with worldly gain and the pursuit of luxury; decline
set in.
If Muslims adhere to Islam and take their religion sincerely, they
will once again be supported by the Will of Allah and will again
be able to lead the world in all spheres of life.
ISBN 9960-850-20-X
g 789060 350207