Friday 24 April 2015

Traveling Through Time - Lessons From History



Traveling Through Time

Let us begin by reflecting on the past and present of the Muslim Ummah: her quandaries and dilemmas, her swinging fortunes, her glorious and at times pathetic history, her uncertain present, and, finally, her unknown destiny.

Every concerned and thoughtful Muslim is sure to ponder, at one time or another, over the question of our bewildering rise to politico-economic prominence and then the tragic  and  deplorable  decline.  Every  historian    whether Muslim or non- Muslim — has his own theory to explain the ups and downs in our fourteen hundred years odyssey. We Muslims, however, are a unique group of people, radically different from all other nations, races, or communities in our very essence. (Our only resemblance, in certain respects, is with the Jews, as we  shall  discuss  later.)  This  implies  that  the  factors  which usually cause rise and decline among other cultures are often not relevant for, or applicable to, the Muslims of the world.

Therefore,  in  order  to  make  sense  of  all  that  is happening to the Muslims throughout the world, it is imperative that we investigate our history very carefully. We must pinpoint the decisive element in our rise and fall. We must identify the law that is governing our ups and downs. We must analyze our history because the threads of the past are closely linked with those of the future. History, as we keep hearing, repeats itself. By probing the past we may be able to get a vision of the shape of things to come. By examining our history, we may be able to catch a glimpse of our future. Moreover, it is clear that we can chart our future course of action, prudently and wisely, only when we know the path which has led to the present.



Friday 17 April 2015

Prologue - Lessons From History





Anyone who seriously reads newspapers and regularly watches international news would agree that we are living in an age of unprecedented swiftness.  Things are changing everywhere with a brisk pace and events are unfolding with an urgent rush. Different characters are entering and exiting the world stage in rapid succession. Each act of the global drama is instantaneously merging with the next. Simultaneously, our daily lives have also undergone an unprecedented acceleration.

Due to all this celerity, most of us are either unable to connect different world events and appreciate their significance, or we are so wrapped up in our own immediate problems that we have simply no time left to brood over international affairs. But our inability to comprehend the global scenario — or our total naïveté concerning the changes at the international level — does not, of course, diminish the importance of these events in any way or obviate the need to study them deeply by placing them in their historical setting. We must remain in touch with the socio- political developments in the world, as ignorance can often lead to extinction.