INTRODUCTION
The substance of the
present tract draws
mainly
from
a long article published by Dr. Israr Ahmed under
the
same title in the October/November
1974 issue of ‘Meesaq’
magazine. It was later included in a booklet entitled
‘Sar- Afgandem’ which comprises, among other
things, the contents of a
marathon speech delivered
at the end of 21- days long Qur’anic study camp held at Lahore in
September 1974, in which Dr. Israr
Ahmed
publicly announced the formation of ‘Tanzeem-e-Islami’ – a well-
disciplined religious group to work for the propagation and
revival of Islam
in
its totality.
Histories of the Jews and the Muslims, being typically
woven around divine revelation, provide a scholar ground for a
thoughtful and perceptive
comparative study of
them. Though in the present day political climate, Jews and
Muslims form two totally divergent
people, yet striking similarities in their
temporal histories are found
and
pointed out. In particular there is a strong parallelism regarding the two phases of rise and decline experienced
by the two religious fraternities during the long course
of their histories thus proving literally
a tradition of the
Prophet Muhammad (sallalahu ta‘alah ‘alaihi wa Sallam) on this subject reproduced elsewhere in this
monograph.
The view of history in the Muslim mind is, and should be, a prophetic one. In the Qur’an over and
over again the historic sequence is repeated –
a warning, followed by either repentance or destruction, as God sends
His messenger
to
one nation after another. The Qur’an provides
a basis
for the
moral interpretation of history ‘The course of history is a moral agency
through which the morally superior elements rise to
the top, while those
who are morally inferior
sink
to the bottom’. That virtuous living, which is the outcome of a healthy religious
faith, must inevitably lead
to success*. This interpretation is
deeper and
broader than that of Karl Max because it covers
both the moral and material aspects, while that of Marx
concentrates entirely on the material aspect,
being greatly influenced by the materialistic evolutionary philosophies
of
his time.
[*1 Siddiqui, Mazheruddin: The Qur’anic Concept of History, Karachi, 1945.]
Religion is not opium for the people. The impulse towards social emancipation is surely found in Islam. It always aimed at a society where equality, justice and prosperity would prevail. Islam teaches that God is concerned not only with moral and spiritual life of man but also with total social emancipation and betterment of economic conditions. The Prophet (sallalahu ta‘alah ‘alaihi wa Sallam) left for us not only a theory that is preached, but concrete experience and historical facts.
[*1 Siddiqui, Mazheruddin: The Qur’anic Concept of History, Karachi, 1945.]
Religion is not opium for the people. The impulse towards social emancipation is surely found in Islam. It always aimed at a society where equality, justice and prosperity would prevail. Islam teaches that God is concerned not only with moral and spiritual life of man but also with total social emancipation and betterment of economic conditions. The Prophet (sallalahu ta‘alah ‘alaihi wa Sallam) left for us not only a theory that is preached, but concrete experience and historical facts.
Dr. Israr Ahmed’s analysis presented here avoids the
so- called cool and uncommitted academicism typical of modern writers of Islamic themes. It cannot be squared
with an anti-activist
or ‘spectator’
view of
Islam
and Islamic literature
that aims merely at an enlargement of the understanding. Indeed here it becomes an essentially
practical subject of
vital importance:
it
seeks to get Muslims to do things. He firmly believes that if history is
read backwards, it is lived forwards. Dr. Israr Ahmed has a clear and well-defined view of the
‘future imperative’ regarding the revival and resurgence of Islam. Moreover,
he himself sounds an optimistic
note
in
the beginning of this monograph about a world
embracing movement
towards Islamic renaissance. Islam’s inner capacity for renewal has more than once surprised both friends and
foes. It has at various times raised up
reformers
to rekindle the light of faith when it had grown dim. It
has better chance than any other faith or ideology of holding and
extending its power over the hearts and wills of men, as
there is a fresh search for reality, especially among the
young
and the highly educated.
One thing that becomes clear from a perusal of this tract
is
that the warp and
wool of the author’s entire thinking is made up with Qur’anic concepts. The very categories of his
thinking
are those of
the Holy
Qur’an
and the prophetic
traditions. He
does not quote from the Holy Book just to prove
his
point or buttress his argument. The Qur’an, for him, is meant to inspire and we must look to it
for the stimulus to spiritual experience and
historical understanding. It is only through practice and
experience and not through clever interpretation that we
can give it genuine significance. The
spontaneity
and facility with
which he quotes the Qur’anic verses amply shows that
the teachings of the Divine Book permeate his thinking and
imagination thoroughly.
Dr. Sanaullah Ansari took great pains to
translate this
monograph from Urdu into English. Later, a number of
amendments in linguistic style and syntax were
made
at various places in the first draft. We do
hope that he would
find
it much improved in the present form. The Anjuman
Khuddam-ul-Qur’an is highly indebted
to him for this valuable
help.
DR.
ABSAR AHMED
Director (English Deptt.)
Qur’an
Academy, Lahore
Contents
The Two Periods of the Rise and Decline of the
Muslim Ummah ...................................................................... 13
A Survey of Present Revivalist
Efforts................................. 24
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