Islamic Civilization. Sayyid Abul A'la Mawdudi
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people believe that ‘civilization’ is a term that stands for the totality of a nation’s knowledge and wisdom, literature and fine arts, its inventions and products, economic pursuits, living styles and cultural traditions, socio-political norms, and the like. However, the fact of the matter is that these aspects are not the essence of a civilization but only its end results and manifestations, not the stem-root system of civilization’s tree but only its leaves and fruit. The significance and worth of any civilization cannot be assessed on the basis of such appearances and decorative body coverings. Instead, we should attempt to reach the soul of a civilization and explore its underlying, fundamental principles.
The Structural Elements of Civilization
From this latter approach towards studying civilizations, it is important to determine a given civilization’s conceptual view towards temporal existence. What does it have to say about man’s place in this world? How does it regard the world itself? What, according to this civilization, is the relationship of man with this world? And what does it say about man’s interaction with this world – that is, if man were to interact with the world how must he regard this world? These fundamental questions relating to a civilization’s worldview have an extremely profound impact on all other aspects of human life, so much so that any change in the foundations of such concepts totally transforms the nature of the civilization itself.
The second set of questions having a central relationship with the concept of human life in any given civilization deals with the end purpose of life itself; these include questions like these: What, according to this civilization, is the whole object of human life in this world? What is the purpose of all our incessant endeavours, struggles, labours, trials and tribulations? What is that ultimate object of our desire towards which we must move forward – and rapidly so? What is the worldview that we should attempt to strive for? What is that end, consideration of which must always be foremost in each and every one of our actions and efforts? This set of core questions relating to our final destination determines all practical aspects of human life and the pace of the journey. From the answers to such questions follow the choices relating to all human actions and the adoption of successful strategies for meeting the stated objectives.
The third group of questions that constitutes our analysis relates to the manner in which the civilization under study deals with the character building of its individuals as well as the fundamental beliefs and philosophical concepts on which such human development takes place. In what mould does the civilization shape the mentality of its members? What thoughts and feelings does it inspire in the minds and hearts of human beings? What are the motivations that encourage and drive the members of a civilization to act in a certain way, which itself leads to the grand objective that the civilization has set for itself? The fact that the power of human action is subservient to the power of human thought can hardly be debated. The spirit that moves the body into action emanates from the ‘heart’ and mind. The mindset and belief system that a person espouses and the philosophy that rules the ‘heart’ naturally govern all forces geared towards concrete action. The dye in which a mind is set determines all the sensibilities and incentives of the individual who possesses these and all bodily actions that follow also adhere to the individual’s mindset. Indeed, no civilization can come into existence without a fundamental belief system and a conceptual foundation upon which its worldview is based. It is because of this core concept that it is absolutely essential to understand the set of beliefs and worldviews that comprise a civilization’s ethos in order to determine its merit. To use the building metaphor once again, such an analysis of a civilization’s highs and lows is as important as inquiring about the depth and strength of a structure’s foundation when one is determining its strength and durability.
Coming to the fourth level of inquiry, we need to ask, ‘What kind of human beings does the civilization aim to make out of its constituent members?’ Or in other words, ‘How will the group conscience act to transform the mere physical and animal entities of men and women into humans?’ This is also to ask, ‘What kind of moral and ethical training does the civilization provide its people with whereby they are able to prepare themselves for leading successful lives within the ideology that the said civilization has stated for itself?’ What are the states, traits and characteristics that it aims to inculcate and develop at both individual and group levels and what kind of human beings are actually produced as a result of the particular moral training that is imparted?
The intellectual basis of this level of analysis should be quite clear, especially in the light of the widespread recognition that human beings are the single most important asset for any and every collective human entity from small groups and organizations to nations. While all civilizations aim at developing and strengthening collective social organizations, individuals are the mortar with which the bricks of the organizational edifice are put together. The strength of the structure is dependent upon the manner and level to which each brick has been baked, the finesse with which every stone has been shaped, the strength of each wooden beam (to ensure that it is not termite infested), and the quality of the mortar and implements that hold all the elements together.
The fifth array of questions relates to the ways and means with which the civilization establishes interpersonal relationships – that is how individual members of this civilization connect with each other and form appropriate relationships corresponding to their social roles. What are the relationships that individuals form and maintain with their family members, neighbours, friends, superiors and subordinates, and others with whom they relate and live? What are the actions and associations that the civilization mandates upon its followers, both individually and collectively, as well as upon those groups who do not subscribe to its particular ethos (i.e. ethnic and religious minorities)? What is the structure of rights and duties between individuals – rights due unto others and others’ duties due unto them? What are the limits of action that have been imposed upon individuals and the extent of freedoms given to them? Within this fold of analysis come all issues relating to ethical behaviour, social interaction, law, politics, and even international relations. Briefly, such a study should shed ample light on the manner in which the said civilization organizes family, social and governance structures. From this analysis, it can be seen that the totality that we call civilization is built with five essential elements:
(i) The worldview relating to temporal life
(ii) The ultimate aim of life
(iii) Fundamental beliefs and philosophy
(iv) The mechanism for the training of individuals
(v) The social system for collective organization
Every civilization in the world has been built upon these five principal elements; Islamic civilization is no exception. In this work, I have surveyed the first three elements with respect to Islamic civilization. I have presented herein Islamic civilization’s particular worldview relating to temporal life, its ultimate aim of life and the fundamental belief system and philosophy on which it has been established, all of which have given it a character distinct from all the other civilizations of the world. The remaining two elements have not been taken up in this book. As far as the theme of ‘training of individuals’ is concerned, a study of my book Islāmī ʿIbādāt par aik Taḥqīqī Naẓar1 (An Analytical View of Islamic Worship) and Khuṭubāt2 (Let Us Be Muslims) [Chapter Nos. 20–28] would be useful. An overall view of the Islamic collective social system may be found in my speeches that have been published under the title Islām ka Niẓām-i-Ḥayāt3 (The Islamic Way of Life).
1 Mawdūdī, Sayyid Abul Aʿlā, Islāmī ʿIbādāt par aik Taḥqīqī Naẓar (Lahore: Islamic Publications, Ltd., 1991).
2 Mawdūdī, Sayyid Abul Aʿlā, Khuṭubāt (Lahore, 2012), English translation Let Us Be Muslims (Markfield: The Islamic Foundation, 2011).
3 Mawdūdī, Sayyid Abul Aʿlā, Islām ka Niẓām-i-Ḥayāt. English translation Islamic Way of Life ((Markfield: The Islamic Foundation, 2011).