A Survey of Present Revivalist Efforts
As a matter of fact, no period of degradation
and degeneration
in Islamic
history is without attempt to reform
and rejuvenate the
Muslim
Ummah. In every epoch and
in every
country, people of sublime
determination were born who performed the gigantic task of reformation
and
reconstruction, as their times demanded. But all such
efforts were made
before
the Twentieth century.
In these
efforts the real objective
was not the
revival of religion,
but its defence
and protection. The magnificent edifice of Islam had not yet been demolished. The real spirit of religion might have faded to a considerable extent, but
the social and cultural
system that Islam had established in the world was still intact.
Islamic Sharia’ (Divine code
of
Law) had actually been
in practice
in all
Muslim countries. Hence the main goal of reform had
been to maintain and preserve the system of Islamic beliefs and practices in
their
original form, so that external and
foreign influences may not attenuate and
distort the
faith.
This is
the reason
why upto
the time of Shah Waliullah of Delhi, the great
Indian divine, (d. 1763),
the endeavours of all the reformers of the Muslim Ummah remained limited to the fields of education and
theology,
and
their goal was simply clarification and
rectification of religious doctrines and beliefs. If they
stepped forward
beyond this boundary, it was at the most for the purposes
of
edification of character and conduct,
purification of
the soul and spiritual training. Before
the Nineteenth century the efforts of none of the reformers of Islam assumed
the shape of a
political or armed movement.7
[*7
One reason for this was that the Prophet
(SAW) had issued severe restraints regarding
armed rebellion against
Muslim rulers. As long as Islamic Sharia was being upheld by them and no apparent infidelity was being
committed, no armed opposition was possible
in spite of their personal sinful actions or due to their oppression or tyranny.
This is why when these conditions changed and the
government was snatched from the Muslims and non-Muslim nations became their rulers, Islamic revivalist
efforts became militant. A glorious example of this is furnished by Shah Waliullah and his family under whose auspices the ‘Movement
of
the Martyrs’ was initiated in India.]
This is why some people regard the
work
of
previous reformers as partial, and they are surprised that
during
the fourteen
centuries of the history of the Muslim Ummah,
not a single radical and full-fledged reformer
(‘Mujaddid Kamil’) was
born. It is clear, however, that though the building was crumbling it had
not yet been demolished completely, and
hence
an altogether new structure was
not
required.
Only
partial restoration was needed.
As
has been explained in
detail, the crumbling
mansion of the
Islamic Ummah tumbled
down in the beginning of Twentieth century,
and Islam and Muslim
Ummah both reached the lowest ebb of deterioration
in Muslim history.
Though there
are now hundreds of millions of Muslims, in the word of the Prophet
Muhammad (SAW), they are like jetsam on the
surface
of flood-water with no value or substance. Our
practice of Islam and fidelity and adherence to Qur’an has reached the state predicted by
the Prophet (SAW) in the following
Hadith:
“There will come a time, when nothing will
remain in Islam except its name, and nothing
will remain of reverence to the Qur’an except its
style of writing”.
Therefore, according to the
law
of Providence, when
our
condition became so degraded, radical attempts
to revive Islam were
initiated.
Some basic facts should be kept in mind
in connection
with
this process of
revival. Firstly,
it is
not
something simple or
straightforward.
It has many facets, and
each is being worked
upon either by individuals of high determination or organised groups. Seemingly they
are separate from each other and sometimes even in conflict. In
reality, however, they
give
strength to each other in the
overall process of revival and renaissance. Secondly,
the task of Islamic resurgence and the
revitalisation of the Islamic Ummah will not be completed in short span of ten or twenty years, but will be accomplished
gradually after
overcoming
many
difficulties and
obstacles as is mentioned in the
Qur’an:
“Ye shall surely travel from stage to stage”.
(Al-Qur’an 84
: 19)
Every stage of this revolutionary process
has its own importance.
When
one looks back
at the efforts undertaken at
earlier stages, they might appear trivial or even to
some extent misguided,
yet their value
for their own time cannot be denied
in principle.
Thirdly, in this all-encompassing struggle for revival, many individuals play an important role, but ultimately they are less effective then the organised groups. These organisations and groups too lose their unique significance in the wider spectrum of Islamic movements, and finally the particularities of all movements are lost in the all-encompassing surge of the process of revival. These facts have often not been respected in the past, and consequently many individuals have aspired to become the ‘Promised Mahdi’ or the ‘Perfect Renewer’ of the faith. In the wake of these claims a variety of heresies have appeared and because of them a good many positively constructive efforts have been doomed.
Thirdly, in this all-encompassing struggle for revival, many individuals play an important role, but ultimately they are less effective then the organised groups. These organisations and groups too lose their unique significance in the wider spectrum of Islamic movements, and finally the particularities of all movements are lost in the all-encompassing surge of the process of revival. These facts have often not been respected in the past, and consequently many individuals have aspired to become the ‘Promised Mahdi’ or the ‘Perfect Renewer’ of the faith. In the wake of these claims a variety of heresies have appeared and because of them a good many positively constructive efforts have been doomed.
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