Muhammad Mumtaz Ali

Introduction

In contemporary times, several trends have emerged in the Muslim world (e.g., liberalism, modernism, revivalism, and secularism) that seek to solve its complex problems. Their proponents claim that liberal and modernist solutions to the problems of religion and society are important and receiving popular support. In addition, many Muslims are said to adhere to liberal principles. The resulting liberal and modernist interpretations of Islam deal mainly with democracy, feminism, secularism, women’s rights and empowerment, and similar current concepts. Thus, they advocate liberalism, modernism, and humanism. Furthermore, they are supposed to enable Muslims and non-Muslims to benefit from such liberal reforms that, eventually, may lead to a more open society. Finally, they assert rather forcefully that liberal or modern Islam is authentic, not merely a western creation, and thus genuinely reflects the true Islamic tradition.1

Liberal Muslims begin their discourse by proposing that the ummah is facing western modernity, modernization, globalization, information technology, and many other external challenges. Given the ensuing assertion that it lacks the power of science and technology, they stress that the ummah should focus on overcoming these challenges and that Muslims should interact with the developed West and take from it whatever is good and applicable. In other words, they are led to think and act in terms of adoption, reconciliation, and accommodation. Thus, Islam and modernity are compatible.

However, an in-depth exploration and analysis reveals that this perception lacks both depth and accuracy. In fact, I posit that this claim seems to be unrealistic and imaginative, for it is the result of the profound influence of such ideologies as modernity, realism, pragmatism, and secularism. Furthermore, the liberal perception has caused more destruction to the ummah than any external challenges have. Therefore, I intend to examine the views of liberals and modernists concerning the threat of external challenges and the need to borrow and adopt from the West. This examination will reveal the inherent weaknesses of liberal perception and prescriptions, show that the liberal prescription is neither relevant nor useful to the ummah’s development, 2 and that the perceptions of a nation’s leaders and intellectuals play a fundamental role in any nation’s rise and fall. I begin with a brief discussion of the linkage between leadership and development and then move on to a critical analysis of these issues.

The Link between Leadership and Development

Ibn Khuldun, author of Al-Muqaddimah, and Seyyid Mawdudi, author of The Islamic Movement: Dynamics of Values, Power and Change, contend that nations and civilizations rise and fall mainly because of their leaders and scholars, and assert that history proves this. They also contend that these same leaders are responsible for any decline. This contention is fully supported by empirical evidence from the West and the Muslim world. The West’s “development” is rightly attributed to its dynamic intellectuals and leaders, whereas the ummah’s decline is associated with the traditionalist and imitative role of its intellectuals and leaders. In the case of Malaysia, for example, full credit for its current development is rightly given to the nation’s dynamic leadership. If all of this is true, then Umar ibn al-Khattab’s words seem to be empirically confirmed. Zaiyad ibn Hudayr said:

Umar asked me: “Do you know what will destroy Islam?” When I said that I did not, he replied: “It will be destroyed by the mistakes of scholars, the arguing of hypocrites using the Book, and the government by leaders who are in error.”3

This is further supported by the Prophet’s (peace be upon him) tradition: “There are two classes in my ummah. If they are right, the ummah is set right; if they are wrong, the ummah goes wrong. They are the rulers and the scholars.”4

The Ummah Today

The ummah stands at present at the lowest rung of the ladder of nations. In this century, no other nation has been subjected to comparable defeats or humiliation. Muslims were defeated, massacred, double-crossed, colonized, and exploited, proselytized, forced or bribed into conversion to other faiths. … This occurred in practically every country and corner of the vast Muslim world. … They enjoy the worst possible “image” in the contemporary world.5

The extensive literature on this subject reveals the above observations. The problem is that since the dawn of independent Muslim nation-states, the ummah has become independent of Islam’s worldview, culture, and civilization. In addition, comprehensive secularism and modernism have replaced its worldview. The majority of Muslims talk about secular systems and culture, the ummah’s new destiny. The Islamic faith and civilization, which for centuries have provided an underlying unity epitomized by a common profession of faith and acceptance of the Shari`ah, are no longer relevant to economic and political development. The Islamic worldview that provided the basic ideological framework for the ummah’s political and social life, that was always a source of guidance, identity, and legitimacy, has been replaced by comprehensive secularism. The ummah’s missionary role, ordained by God, has been lost and forgotten.

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