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أقسم بالله العظيم أن أكون مخلصًا لديني ولمصر وللأزهر الشريف, وأن أراقب الله في أداء مهمتى بالمركز, مسخرًا علمي وخبرتى لنشر الدعوة الإسلامية, وأن أكون ملازمًا لوسطية الأزهر الشريف, ومحافظًا على قيمه وتقاليده, وأن أؤدي عملي بالأمانة والإخلاص, وأن ألتزم بما ورد في ميثاق العمل بالمركز, والله على ما أقول شهيد.

Civilization and Reformation

  • | Tuesday, 7 August, 2018
Civilization and Reformation

Civilization and Reformation

 

In His specification of the making of civilization as the main human mission in the universe, God says, “He is (the One Who) created you from the earth and entrusted you with reformation in it.” (Qur’an, 11:61). The verse speaks of the Divine obligation of humankind to promote ‘imarah i.e. cultivation, reclamation, construction and reformation, of the earth and build civilization in it. This process is inspiringly indicative of reclaiming the earth and turning it into a place proper for life and utilization of its benefits. The Arabic term isti‘mār signifies the request of reformation and construction; encouragement to building of civilization. It has nothing to do with the negative meaning denoting imperial colonization, from which we have suffered during the periods of foreign occupation of Muslim and non-Muslim countries.

Actually, the term “colonization” is linked in minds with the semantic shadows of devastation, pillage, plundering and horrible exploitation and abuse of natural resource and peoples. For man to undertake this mission of building the civilization in the universe, God equipped her/him with knowledge, which Islam sees as a religious obligation. However, reforming the earth in this manner is not necessarily identical with civilization. Reformation itself is not the perfect meaning of ‘imarah. Indeed, it is but one aspect of it. It may be called the material civilization or the civilization of physical things.

The other element with which civilization is perfected or, to use the Qur’anic term, ‘imarah of the earth is completed—includes all religious, rational, ethical and aesthetic values. In other words, the true civilization puts man at the center of its objectives.

The concept of civilization in the Muslim perspective is not far from that, even if it is connected with the actualization of the Divine Will. As such, it is fair to say that civilization in the Islamic sense signifies the actualization of the Divine Will in the material and spiritual reformation and construction of the earth. In this manner, man personifies the essence of human mission on the earth as a steward of God over the earth.

Evidently, man’s dominance of the powers in nature is not sufficient for the building of civilization. Indeed, man must also control her/his internal propensities, desires and whims to be in accord with the ethical values. As such, the ‘imarah of the earth comes true in line with the Divine Will. Only then, a human being can have a constant relationship with God, the Creator of the universe. Such relationship sets all the human affairs right and keeps man from aberration, lest s/he should fall to pervasive delusion to think that s/he is the master of the universe. This delusion only instigates tyrannies, arrogances, transgression and corruption. Such outputs of falsities and delusions have no connection whatever to the values of urbanity. Conversely, they go against the ideals of humanity and civilization.

In the light of the abovementioned, it can be said that civilization in the right sense of the word signifies the material advancement backed with the spiritual progress of humankind. In this sense, it is inseparable from the human values in their comprehensive meaning. Moreover, the concept of civilization has firm connection with the concept of progress. In other words, civilization is a progressive step in the very sense of the word; it is progressive in thought, behavior, and treatment with people and things within a framework of the value system going beyond the tribal narrow frames to the wider area of humanity.

Islam has played a very significant role in adapting the human minds to this wider human circle in full assertion of the universal human element. In this context, the Qur’an states, “O you mankind, surely We have created you of a male and a female, and We have made you races and tribes that you may know one another.” (Qur’an, 49:13) This verse refers to several facts:

  1. The vocative formula addresses all peoples in general
  2. The origin of humankind is the same.
  3. There exist some inessential differences between peoples and nations.
  4. Since these differences do not affect the core of man as a human being, they are opportune keys for human beings to have mutual knowledge of each other as relatives who all share the same ancestor.

This mutual knowledge is a key to have mutual understanding and cooperation among the members of the human community in pursuit of the establishment of common human values. Consequently, Islam actually regards any aggression against a human individual as a crime against the entire humanity. Likewise, any aspect of kindness to an individual is actually seen as a favor to the entire humanity. This philosophy places man in the proper position and is a reflection of the fact that Islam is a universal religion for all human beings in the very sense of the word. As such, it is clear that the right aim of any true human civilization must be man; man is the maker of civilizations and, meanwhile, the ultimate aim of civilization.

In assertion of the human sense of civilization, it is fair to say that civilization deteriorates when the essential value of humanity is lost. Actually, when the value of humanity fades away, the empty delusion of vain ethics and forged civilization begins. The famous British philosopher Thomas Hobbes went so far in his assessment of this point, likening man-man relationship to that of a man-wolf conflict; all fight against all. Contrary to this conflict, the Islamic concept accords to the right meaning of civilization or expresses the core of human civilization as should be promoted and built in minds of individuals and groups: “All are reciprocally responsible for all.” This meaning represents the peak of solidarity, cooperation and mutual support among all human beings.

 

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