Islamic Narrative

Brief on topics reviewed in “First Principles of Islamic Economics” by Sayyid Abul A’la Mawdudi(rh): “The Muslim world was a global economic power for several centuries, and it was not until the Western Enlightenment that economic stagnation or decline began to occur; and this lasted for more than 300 years” – Foreword This is when the decline of the Ummah and the Islamic state started to take place and this is when Muslims started to gather to question where exactly we went wrong. Was it that Islam was no longer relevant to solve societal problems? “The lowest point was the abolition of what was left of the symbolic Khilafah in 1924” – Foreword This was the crucial point where many Muslim intellectuals and prominent thinkers came in with their work for the revival and reconstruction of a broken Ummah. Amongst these names are Muhammad Iqbal, Hassan al Banna, Sayid Abul Ala Mawdudi and a host of other intellectuals and reforme...

"Thoughts, in any nation, are the greatest fortune the nation gains in her life if the nation is newly born; and they are the greatest gift that any generation can receive from the preceding generation, provided the nation is deep-rooted in the enlightened thought" - The Economic System of Islam "If the material wealth of a nation is destroyed, it is possible for it to be restored quickly as long as the nation preserves its intellectual wealth"  - The Economic System of Islam The greatest wealth of a nation are their thoughts. The reference to "thoughts" in this context are those thoughts that are the foundation of any ideology or civilisation. This is in reference to the highest levels of thinking - i.e. the core thoughts that govern all other thoughts and actions. These are the thoughts that direct the entire vision of a civilisation and ideology. In this context, there are three types of thinking that need to be built within the Ummah:   1.    ...

“A man should be like a child with his wife, but if she needs him, he should act like a man. ” - Umar ibn al-Khattab In the early years of childhood the parents praise the child for every achievement, good behaviour and obedience. The parents define the parameters of all that which is good and the child feeds off the praises he or she receives. Very often the child learns to do good as this equates to reward, praise and approval. Much of the time there is a need for a balance between praise, disapproval and punishment. Courses are offered to help new parents maintain this balance for children who become difficult to manage. This plays a pivotal role in the development of the child and the long term plan is to move the child from dependence to independence on the mental and emotional spectrum.   The military enforce strategies to ensure that these aspects do not act as obstacles to the outcomes they wish to reach. They aim to build individuals that are largely in...

There is an awe in the minds of many Muslims who settle in western secular liberal societies and often buried within themselves is a self-defeated mind-set. This self-defeated mind-set is one that finds comfort in praising the institutions, infrastructures and sense of order in western countries. When observing our own state of affairs, we are only able to refer to our own "Muslim countries" which are in turmoil, war, poverty and dictatorships. This type of thinking is known as shallow thinking - i.e. the observance of only that which is apparent and the inability to address or understand the root causes that cannot be seen at first glance. This is a neglect of our roots, our history and the civilisations we had once built, all so that we know only to refer to the realities and scripts our colonial masters had imposed upon us. Our current state of affairs and our inability to see beyond our desperate situation is a result of 300 years of decline, complemented and accelerated...

It is the paradox of the Muslim that he refers to Islam for the ahkam around Salah and Fasting and the personal ibadat, yet he abandons his deen and it is no longer a reference point when he aims to address the political will of the ummah. His very actions invalidate his bold claim that Islam is comprehensive and it is Islam that has a solution for every human problem. How can the Muslim truly have confidence in Islam when he refers to secular politics and the methodologies of other nations and ideologies to implement the true radical change that Islam demands? The Muslim fails to see that he has become victim to secular indoctrination where his leaning towards a secular framework to address even the problems of the ummah is almost subconscious - he seems to engage in these actions without the presence of deep thinking and comprehensive analysis of the problem at hand. If his mind was truly free from colonisation then he would see that the lands of the ummah are still colonised; th...

Politics is about the question behind the question. Usually, the question being asked is a high risk path to self-sabotage. It would be shallow to assume that the question itself is the question that requires an answer. The one being questioned needs to be able to analyse the actual motive. Scenario: CNN pick up a well-educated Muslim scholar to engage in a panel discussion. They ask him "Do you believe that in this modern age of research, technology and progression, the hand of the thief should be cut off? Do you not think that this is at least slightly barbaric?" He gives the wrong people the right answer. His academia and years of study is misapplied. He answers the question and he says "Off course, this is from our history and from the Quran itself. I would advise you to refer to the 38th ayah of Surah Al Maidah where Allah says "[As for] the thief, the male and the female, amputate their hands in recompense for what they committed as a deterrent [punishm...

The History of the Future A superpower is any nation that has dominating influence across the world and as a result it continues to extend its influence through economic, military and ideological means. We can see how this is clear with the US although it can be argued that its influence is declining. The US has a large share in global dominance across the world through economic, military and ideological means. The era of the great depression lasted from 1929-1939 and the Executive Order 6102 came into place in 1933, where American citizens were forced to hand in any gold bullion or risk a prison sentence. The US was not established as a world power until after World War 2, when they were able to benefit as the war raged on. The rising of the US to becoming a superpower came largely after World War 2 (1939-1945), as the US was a major supplier in military exports to resource the war for European nations. The US was late joining the war and so they enjoyed a huge influx of gold (the...

Quran in the Perspective of History Allah(swt) presents ayat which explain events that are beyond the limits of recorded history. Recorded history has little to tell us about the tears that Yaqub(as) cried or the struggles Yusuf(as) endured or the bravery, courage and patience Musa(as) exercised. Yet, these stories are presented in a precise and eloquent style so much that there is no vanity in the information provided, yet the focus is drawn to the lessons that the ummah of Muhammad(saw) are to learn from, in relation to the events of the past.  In fact, it is said that only an approximate of roughly 500 or so ayat are about legislation and ahkam while the many from the remaining 6000 or so ayat are Qasas (stories) and nurturing and consoling the troubled hearts of the Muslims in every era of struggle and victory. Such is the miracle of Quran that only 500 or so ayat are sufficient to shape an entire civilisation through the principles of Usool and the tools to perform Ijtiha...