Get Smart
Chapter 7
“Allâh will exalt in degree those of you who believe, and those who have been granted knowledge” (58:11)
Enhancing the success and reach of Muslims will require building capacity. A key strategic focus in achieving this noble objective is to develop, educate and empower Muslims to become experts at things that actually generate value.
Allah created man and provided him with the tools for acquiring knowledge, namely hearing, sight and wisdom. “And Allâh has brought you out from the wombs of your mothers while you know nothing. And He gave you hearing, sight, and hearts that you might give thanks (to Allâh)” (16:78)
Knowledge about matters of faith and creed is a priority for every Muslim. It is a protection from deviant beliefs and misunderstandings.
But while cognisant of the correct creed and all it entails (which is foundational and the first step) we seem to be ill equipped with the relevant worldly knowledge to actualise it in all social spheres.
Our aim is to encourage people to care enough about their dreams that they’ll care enough to develop the judgment, skill and attitude to make them come true.
Human Resource
Lack of talent is a cause of doom for many organisations.
Human resource is the basic requisite for the success of any organisation, hence the Prophet ﷺ placed a high premium on education and ransomed prisoners if they taught his followers how to read. There must be trained, competent people in the organisation, always striving to expand its activities. Since our faith embraces all spheres of human activity, our education should be multi-faceted and comprehensive.
Technological progress and economic gain are the by-product of such endeavours. They emerge as a consequence of doing what we ought to do in a way that is valuable and meaningful over a sustained period of time.
Need to place a higher value on education, creativity and common purpose
It is hard for the Muslim world to be an example for others to follow unless it is strong and able to move forward. How can it be acceptable for us as Muslims — the people commanded before anything else to “iqra” read — to go down the road of ignorance and give up competing with the other nations of the Earth in the pursuit of knowledge?
Patients die at the hands of such doctors.
Buildings collapse at the hands of such engineers.
Money is lost in the hands of such economists & accountants.
Humanity dies at the hands of such religious scholars.
Justice is lost at the hands of such judges…
“The collapse of education is the collapse of a nation.”
How can a people who profess this religion and follow these texts be content to remain steeped in illiteracy and ignorance while other nations who do not share our legacy are progressing by leaps and bounds?
How can we do so especially at a time when they are the ones excelling in every field of human knowledge without the benefit of our heritage and our faith that encourages us to do so?
What bridge will help us to span the distance between the pure truth of our sacred texts and the miserable state of ignorance and misunderstanding that besets the lives and the mindset of the Muslim world?
Our weaknesses may lead the disbelievers to foolishly conclude we are upon falsehood. Ibrahim عليه السلام supplicated “Our Lord! Make us not a fitna for the disbelievers…” (60:5) and Musa عليه السلام also said something very similar “Our Lord, make us not a fitna for the wrongdoing people…” (10:85) i.e. do not give them victory over us lest they perceive that they are right and we are wrong. Them gaining power over the Muslims is a trial (fitnah) for themselves, as they will carry the burden of the sins they commit against the believers and be misguided by their temporary status.
The nations of the West are improving their knowledge and their application of it night and day in order to dominate the nations that surround them.
The BBC quoted a panel of experts from the National Defence Strategy Commission to the US military saying “The global role the United States has played for many generations rests upon a foundation of unmatched military power,” but they still worry of losing their competitive edge “Today however, our margin of superiority is profoundly diminished in key areas.”
“There are,” the study insists, “urgent challenges that must be addressed if the United States is to avoid lasting damage to its national security.”
Jonathan Marcus, the Diplomatic correspondent for the BBC said “The issue is much broader than just retraining and re-equipping. It requires a massive effort to bolster innovation and to forge ahead with key technologies — artificial intelligence, next generation broadband networks and so on — that may provide a key element of superiority on a future battlefield.” Effectively recommending that they “Create more engineering and air defence units” and “Reduce the risk of dangerous dependency on components coming from abroad, eg China”
His assessment from the report was “Lots of good intentions and some sense of the major challenges but muddled thinking on how to address them, and fundamentally not enough resources to get the job done.” — This is despite it outspending all of its major military rivals but is still not getting sufficient “bang for its buck”.
The United States’ long period of military dominance during the Cold War rested upon an extraordinary scientific and industrial base that nobody could rival. Advances from research in aerospace or other the military-related technology slowly diffused into civilian life.
Today things are very different. It is civilian research — in computing, electronics and crucial areas like artificial intelligence — that is driving forward technological progress. And the US — whilst a powerful player — is not alone. China in particular is placing huge resources into the technologies that may one day give it the edge on a 21st Century battlefield.
Former foreign secretary William Hague said “In a world where most digital components and information infrastructure is made in China, we are faced with a new and critical threat [that is] the microchips being built into our systems and military hardware might be under the control of another country.”
“We no longer live in a world where there is a clear distinction between peace and war. The space between these absolutes is filled with a variety of threats and irritants: information operations; political assassination; cyber attacks; and military activities by forces or proxies whose exact identity only becomes clear over time.
Confronting this new and complex spectrum of threats requires new strategy, new thinking and new tools. But it also requires a new mindset in government and that may be the hardest thing to achieve.”
Similarly and to a greater degree, the lack of a proper education has damaged our ability to defend ourselves and grow. Many Muslim majority states are in a humiliating position of relying on the enemies for their own security and survival. This incapacity has resulted in political weakness and subservience to foreign interests whilst unwittingly benefiting foreign arms dealers as well as a host of other unsavoury players.
We have been paying a heavy price in dealing with the consequences of ignorance and been reduced to the lamentable state of dependency, especially in the fields of medicine, engineering, and manufacturing technology. The scale, severity and complexity of the problem is staggering. Years of cronyism, corruption and economic stagnation have damaged key institutions.
All this has culminated to a major disservice to our religion. We need to revive our desire to honour Islam in every way possible and recommit ourselves to its values and ideals.
But this feeling of failure is actually a deception from Shaytan to deter us from trying and working to advance meaningful solutions to issues we face.
Our thought for the Ummah is far above feelings of defeatism, relying on others in order to achieve revival, and feeling overwhelmed in the face of great responsibility, the responsibility of being in a leading position in relation to other nations and manifesting the greatness of Islam.
“Or ˹are you not aware of˺ the one who passed by a city which was in ruins.” The man (Uzair) stood there contemplating about what had happened to that city, after a great civilization used to inhabit it. “He said, “How will Allah bring this to life after its death?” because of the utter destruction he saw and the implausibility of its returning to what it used to be. “So Allah caused him to die for a hundred years” The city was rebuilt after the man (Uzayr) died, and its inhabitants increased. “then He revived him.” Uzair was bought back to life and witnessed how Allah revived the things around him and “When this was made clear to him, he declared, “Now I know that Allah is Most Capable of everything.” (2:259)
Allah revives and establishes nations and people as He wills.
In surah Yusuf, we are reminded “Indeed my lord is subtle in fulfilling what he wills. Surely he alone is the all knowing all wise.” (12:100)
A sudden, extreme crisis — like a pandemic, war or similar emergency — offers the tantalising possibility of radical change, of forging new alliances, of disrupting failing systems and patterns, of exposing bad leadership, and of bringing the most talented and dynamic people to the fore.
Some of those changes are already under way.
These are encouraging signs that give reasons to feel optimistic that we are finally turning a corner and witnessing the beginning of something beautiful.
The Revival
In the 50s, Morita SONY established that their core purpose at SONY was to be a pioneering company, which did the impossible. Additionally, the future they envisioned included the following:
· Become the company most known for changing the worldwide image of Japanese products as being of poor quality (they were known for low quality copycats at the time). Made in Japan will mean something fine and not shoddy.
· Create products that become pervasive around the world.
Fast forward a few decades and Japanese made products have provided enormous services to a huge segment of the human population.
It’s less about anyone else holding us back, and more about ignorance and strange interpretations combined with poor analysis that have hindered the Muslim world.
The Prophet ﷺ said “At the beginning of every century Allah will send to this ummah someone who will renew its religious understanding.”
The scholars have said: The word “man” (translated here as “someone who”) is a relative pronoun that is general in application. It may refer to the singular or the plural.
The mujaddid (The Renewer) therefore could be an individual or it may be a group of people and this is something that makes sense, for the fields in which renewal is needed are not limited to one type, and it is not necessarily the case that all the good qualities required (to bring about this renewal) will all be found in a single individual.
Allah may raise a group of people who are capable and passionate to lead the charge in all the areas that matter.
All Knowledge is From Allah
After building a formidable wall,
Dhul Qarnayn said “This is a mercy from my Lord”
Allah said about Dawud عليه السلام “And We taught him the making of metal coats of mail (for battles), to protect you in your fighting. Are you then grateful?” (21:80)
Allah The Most High told Nuh عليه السلام “And construct the ship under Our Eyes and with Our revelation…” (11:37)
Enhancing our knowledge of this world helps us to honour our religion, fulfil its obligations and facilitate its implementation. The emerging role of science and technology is playing a key role in achieving these goals, and the research community among Muslims is finding evermore innovative ways to support these efforts and we can observe them making huge strides towards this end
Like the Prophet Shu’ayb said: “I want nothing but to set things right as far as I can. My tawfeeq (ability to do any thing) comes from none but Allah.” (11:88)
It is Allah who ultimately gives tawfeeq — i.e. the ability and opportunity to succeed in something or achieve success. Prophet Shu’ayb recognised his role was to actively seek tawfeeq from Allah by sincerely striving to do as much good as he could.
The Fruits of Scientific Enquiry
The Prophet ﷺ said “Seek medical treatment, for truly Allah as not send down a disease without sending down a cure for it. Those who have knowledge of the cure know it, and those who are ignorant of it do not.” (Musnad Ahmad)
The Prophet ﷺ referred to medical knowledge as knowledge and to a lack of it as ignorance. He encouraged us to seek out the cures to the diseases that plague us by telling us that those cures are out there for us to discover and make use of. He ﷺ would make the dua “O Allah, benefit me from that which You taught me, and teach me that which will benefit me, and increase me in knowledge.” (Saheeh)
The fruits of scientific enquiry were seen to be in harmony with what the Qur’an says about our role in developing the Earth and benefiting from it in every way. Learning about the incredible complexity of our world also gives us a deeper appreciation of Allah’s creation and a sense of wonder.
Sadly, there are serious shortcomings in our efforts to teach the Muslims that Islam is concerned with these sciences that give humanity the ability to benefit from the world around them. We must realise that seeking beneficial knowledge for the sake of Allah is worship.
Criticisms Aside, Where is The Substitute
Need of a Creative Minority
In the short run, the convenience and reliability of large multinational companies lull users into a happy compliance. It’s a miracle. It works. What’s the problem?
But in the long run, we stagnate as too much power is given to companies like Google whose influence dictates what gets built in many corners of the web. If your project isn’t google-friendly, it probably won’t get built. If it use to be google friendly but isn’t anymore, it will disappear.
For Toynbee, author of “A study of history”, civilisations arise out of creative responses to difficult situations. It is difficulty, rather than ease, that provides the stimulus. If however, a civilisation lacks a creative minority that is unable to respond to the challenges creatively, it fails in its response and their civilisation gets overwhelmed.
It seems very reasonable to suggest that if a civilisation does not have people within it to give sound solutions to the challenges it faces, it will fail to grow.
Creating favourable optics even in the absence of real progress will not suffice. So unless we come up with a way of addressing these problems, all this hype will just be seen as bravado and is not all that productive.
We cannot insist on simple solutions to complex problems
The ummah must seek to produce and support people that are able to challenge the status quo and win at the highest levels in the different areas that matter.
For example, where are we in the mission to accelerate the world’s transition to sustainable transport and clean energy?
Earn a seat at the table by developing an asset, and leverage it to create real value for those you serve.
Meeting the Objectives
The scholars have noted that Islam has come to safeguard five universal needs: religion, life, lineage, property, and reason.
It is not possible to safeguard these needs effectively without possessing accurate scientific knowledge and being able to employ it properly to defend the faith and bring about worldly prosperity.
The Muslims went in to decline when they became docile and abandoned these objectives and the course of justice embodied in the faith.
It is therefore our duty to contribute actively to the objectives of Islam and realise its goals by constantly striving to learn and develop relevant competencies that will help us to advance these interests.
For example,
The Muslims must recognise that Artificial intelligence has important implications for our ‘national’ security and other important areas in society.
This is because the world is increasingly connected through, and reliant on, digital infrastructure to support business, enhance production and drive innovation.
Global information system security is critical to smoothly functioning, stable societies and affects governments, militaries, energy grids, communications systems and health records. The health of these organisations depends on protecting intellectual property (IP) and sensitive data. The Muslims should at least have the technical knowledge to assist in meeting this objective.
In the modern era the Muslims are required to fight their opponents in the same manner as they are fought, or even with something better if they are able to do so. Therefore sophisticated AI cyber-attacks of the future will require equally sophisticated AI-powered cyber-defences.
This comes under the heading of necessary strength that the Muslims are commanded to prepare in order to confront their adversaries and defend their interests.
The examples are many and varied and can include courageous investigative reporting that prompts global conversation about important issues, holding tech companies to account and pressuring governments to enact regulation.
This sort of dynamism and holistic approach to knowledge must return and our response to important matters should be at least proportional to the various challenges we face.
Muslims must swiftly remedy their deficiencies
There is a famous statement of Nelson Mandela which is displayed at the entrance of the University of South Africa which reads:
“Destroying any nation does not require the use of atomic bombs or the use of long-range missiles. It only requires lowering the quality of education and allowing cheating in the examinations by the students.
Patients die at the hands of such doctors. Buildings collapse at the hands of such engineers. Money is lost in the hands of such economists & accountants. Humanity dies at the hands of such religious scholars. Justice is lost at the hands of such judges… The collapse of education is the collapse of a nation.”
It should be a strategic priority that Muslims educate themselves in the right areas and continue to develop and improve their skill sets and cooperation to achieve the aforementioned religious objectives.
The Muslims must continue to strengthen and maintain the ummahs capabilities on every front and in every place by mobilising its resources and having the smarts to carry out impactful work where the need arises.
Alhumdulillah, there is enough raw talent in the ummah that can create breakthrough innovations and leapfrog competition from other nations.
This change will be hard at first, messy in the middle but glorious at the end inshaAllah.
It’s just as matter of time…
Set and Execute an Ambitious Agenda
Becoming The Predator, Not the Prey
Every strong nation is vying for dominance. Trevor Noah expressed this well when he said “If China becomes the leading 5G provider, America fears it will have the ability to spy on everyone. Which is terrible. Because that’s what America wants to do”
Technical and financial wars are waged on nations in order to win political concessions. A nation that is unprepared for the eventuality of being cut off from the powerful is more vulnerable to sanctions. Efforts therefore need to be made in all areas of importance so that Muslims are not subjected to the dictates of their adversaries. These efforts are all part of our collective desire to regain control, dignity and independence.
As Muslims, we must not let others dictate our thinking, narratives, and agenda. This not only continually puts us on the back foot, but it forces us into an intellectually and strategically subordinate — even inferior — position of being led all the time.
The Muslims need to be armed with deep and nuanced understandings of the challenges to come. We need to identify and support the creative minority within our communities who add strength from their side. Instead of being the naive targets of someone else’s agenda, we need to have our own thought and our own agenda. Without it we’re left with bullies and whatever is on their agenda.
Colonialism and its foreign ideas, for instance, only invaded our worldviews after the collective Muslim heart and mind became colonisable. It was only after we deteriorated spiritually and intellectually did the political debacle of our civilisation take place and the ideological invasions ensued.
Our collective lack of faith has lead us to follow our desires and empower the corrupt. When you spend frivolously on useless things; useless enterprises and industries thrive. And when they thrive shaytaans work succeeds in society.
Recognising this allows us to administer the proper remedy and reintroducing the reality of Islam will require building superior alternatives in many arenas.
It is an imperative for us to excel at things that matter in order to fulfill the trust of leadership that we have been bestowed.
Mohammad Elshinawy writes in this regard “Online and in-person, we often find ourselves hurriedly responding to falsehood in uncalculated ways, squandering true opportunities for incremental positive change by the lure of a presumed quick-fix.
Too often we overlook the prophetic “haste is from Shayṭān” rule, lock ourselves into a cycle of reactionary rhetoric, and allow our protective passion for Islam skew our strategy. In management, experts commonly stress the importance of avoiding the ‘firefighting’ approach, where you are always consumed by the emergency at hand.
It is a horrible approach, not only because it stunts progress, but more importantly because its endless nature renders it unsustainable and will eventually fail. Similarly, they say in sports that the best defense is a good offence because a boxer blocking in the corner will inevitably find a punch landing past his defences. Likewise, the maxim in medicine has always been that prevention is better than any cure, because even effective treatment may leave behind irreparable damage.”
A long term strategy in different domains will eventually allow the ummah to execute a rapid response to emergencies.
It is high time that we develop our own capabilities and deprive the belligerent regimes of funds that it has used for decades to destabilise regions across the world and force them to conform to their warped standards of morality.
If we’re being honest, the real reason we don’t do this work isn’t that we’re stupid or incapable. It’s probably that we haven’t made it a priority. It might be that we’re afraid, that we’re lazy or that we’re underinformed.
All three are temporary conditions if we want them to be. Or we can live with them and assume that we’re stupid instead.
The wiser decision would be to cut out the useless stuff and get to work on things that matter. You don’t need the latest fashion accessory if it doesn’t serve your purpose. Sacrifices need to be made and mastering certain domains will undoubtedly support our boldest ambitions.
Pursue Innovation With Purpose By Engineering The Technology That Supports Our Mission
Our religion demands that we see beyond short sighted needs. After having our basic bread and butter sorted, we need to look at the long term. We don’t want to just become products of our society to simply survive. We want to better our society so that we can collectively thrive.
The debate around modernity needs to shift from whether it’s a good idea or bad idea, to how to make it positively impactful for the ummah. The most straightforward definition of “technology” is simply the application of knowledge to a task. The way we use it will determine whether it is praiseworthy or not.
Properly understood, technology’ and technological innovation are simply extensions of our humanity and represent efforts to continuously improve the human condition. In essence, technical innovation expands our capabilities to help people in ways that many critics often fail to appreciate.
Finocracy is one such example that banks on novel ideas at the intersection of finance, ethics, and technology. Narwi in particular is a non-profit Islamic crowdfunding platform which allows donors to support microentrepreneurs of their choice by establishing an endowment, or “Narwi-Waqf,” with as little as $25.
Combining the power of crowdfunding with the virtue of Islamic charitable giving, Narwi provides financing for the startup and growth of very small, or “micro” enterprises, thereby creating much-needed jobs in the Middle East and North Africa.
Narwi uses a revolving donations model; as a loan is repaid, the donor’s Narwi-Waqf is replenished, and those funds become available to support other beneficiaries selected by the donor.
Facilitators of Goodness
The Prophet ﷺ said “He who is the means for a good deed gets the same reward as the one who performs it.” (sahih)
In yet another hadith, we find a little bit of background about how this wording of the Prophet of Allah ﷺ came about. [It was related] that a man came to the Prophet ﷺ asking him to support him in going out on a military campaign, and the Prophet was unable to do so. So he then sent him to someone else. And when that other person that provided for that man, then the Prophet ﷺ said these famous words: “He who directs others to a good deed is as the one who did it.”
In this hadith we can understand khayr in a more general way. And so [as we see] here, any type of good that we are a means for, that we point people to, there is a reward that we get for that.
It is therefore worthy of our striving to be beneficial to others by trying to bring about khayr at every single level. And this will be a great way for us to be able to point others to this greatest of good that lies in the teachings of our Prophet ﷺ
Operating with this type of mindset makes you consciously focus your life on the three investments that Prophet Muhammad taught us would continue to exist after our death: our children and their prayers for us after we die, an ongoing charity that’s genuinely sustainable and beneficial to people, and developing and spreading a useful body of knowledge that’s timeless.
Design Solutions that Deliver Greater Value
Because most things can always be done faster, better and more efficiently.
Some current examples include block chaining Zakat, where both users and charities will be able to track the donations end-to-end and offering alternatives to commercial insurance such as Takaful, where members contribute money into a pooling system in order to guarantee each other against loss or damage and it is the responsibility of the individuals to co-operate and protect each other.
Culture forms the operating system for our society. It’s foundational to the way science, politics, economics and technology develop. It shapes how we feel and how we emphasize some values over others.
Many others are now trying to marry innovation, technology, design, and creativity with Islam to make smart lifestyle products for Muslims across the world. In doing so, they are creating an enabling environment for the Islamic economy to flourish.
Hoping that your organisation grows by word of mouth …isn’t nearly as productive as making something worth talking about.
A good idea isn’t worth much if it doesn’t reach people who can benefit from it. We need more people committed to advancing the Muslims through their ventures.
We implore the Muslims to design and explore ways to implement effective solutions to real problems. We as Muslims, especially those who claim orthodoxy, should assert ourselves in these areas.
For example, to create money that is truly in line with Islamic values we should strive to solve the issue of regulating the money supply so that it expands at a rate that is always in constant proportion with economic output. If we can somehow tie the production of say cryptocurrencies (whose supply isn’t controlled by any government or entity that may have interests contrary to the goal of preserving the value of money) to economic output we will have taken a huge step towards creating money that is truly Islamic; one that maintains its value over time so that people’s savings aren’t stolen from and also is convenient to use when transferring or exchanging goods and services.
What other products or services can you offer that appeal to the aspirations of Muslims beyond the traditional Islamic economy sectors of food and fashion?
The University of Granada
“The world is held up by only four pillars: the Wisdom of the Learned, the Justice of the Great, the Prayers of the Righteous, and the Valour of the Brave.”
These words were inscribed at the entrance of the University of Granada, which was founded by Muslims in Spain during the early 15th century. Muslim universities like Granada and Cordoba were sought after like Oxford and Cambridge in their time. The noble families of Europe, Africa and Asia rushed to send their children to be educated there. So let us reflect for a moment, on what these words signify.
The Prayers of the Righteous, and the Valour of the Brave — By 694, corresponding to 92AH, Islām had spread across North Africa, Persia and Shām. Al-Andalus (Spain) was under the tyrannical rule of King Roderic of the Visigoths who persecuted, oppressed and imprisoned Jews and Christians alike.
According to the chronicles of history, a Christian chief Julian, who had fled Spain, called upon the Muslims across the shores for help. The Umayyad governor of North Africa, Mūsā b. Nusair was praying for such an opportunity and responded by sending his courageous General at the head of 12,000 troops who landed at a point close to the huge rock which dominates the entrance to the Mediterranean.
In Ramadān of that year, they were confronted with an army led by Roderic himself amounting to 90,000. There was an aura of fear and scepticism amongst the Muslim flanks; upon knowing which, the General ordered his loyal men to burn all the ships that had carried them there and were their only source of a safe journey back home. That man, that fearless leader, was called Tāriq b. Ziyād. Once all of the ships were burnt, Tāriq addressed his soldiers and was reported to have said: “We shall now either defeat the enemy and gain victory or die a coward’s death by drowning in the sea “.
The army burst with great enthusiasm to meet the enemy and Allāh manifested a clear victory over the forces of tyranny and oppression, paving the way for the liberation and conquest of Spain. The place where he landed was named Jabal al-Tāriq by the Muslims, later twisted to what we know today as Gibraltar. That little name is a reminder of our glorious past and the heroic man who rose to the heights of courage on wings of faith and self-belief.
Wisdom of the learned — There are several synonyms used for wisdom in practice including but not limited to reason, intellect, insight, comprehension, foresight, good judgement, judiciousness, shrewdness and understanding. Being able to anticipate what is likely to happen as a consequence of our actions is an essential life skill. Many adults fail at developing foresight and understanding the ramifications of their words and actions. Wisdom therefore is to do the right thing at the right time in the right way. “He gives wisdom to whom He wills, and whoever has been given wisdom has certainly been given much good…”(2:269)
Stanley Lane-Poole in his introduction to the book ‘The Story of the Moors in Spain’ said “Twelve hundred years ago Tariq the Moor added the land of the Visigoths to the long catalogue of kingdoms subdued by the Moslems. For nearly 8 centuries, under her Mohammedan rulers, Spain set to all Europe a shining example of a civilised and enlightened state. Her fertile provinces rendered double prolific by the industry and engineering skill of her conquerors, bore fruit a hundred fold… Art, literature and science prospered, as they then prospered nowhere else in Europe. Students flocked from France and Germany and England to drink from the fountain of learning which flowed only in the cities of the moors… The practical work of the field, the scientific methods of irrigation, the arts of fortification and shipbuilding, the highest and most elaborate products of the loom, (the list goes on) were brought to perfection by the Spanish Moors”
The Umayyids had developed a civilisation based in Cordoba that surpassed that of any on earth and the state was the most populous, cultured, and industrious land of all Europe, remaining so for centuries and catalysing the intellectual, philosophical and technological growth of Europeans beyond its borders.
Their skills helped them to accomplish lofty ambitions and goals, and increase the practical and beneficial impact they had in the world.
Instilling a culture of learning and knowledge-sharing is imperative to our community and will eventually contribute to its revival.
Justice — When wealth and power is acquired, it must be applied with justice, or else we will have tyranny. The Messenger of Allah informs us that “The just will be seated upon pulpits of light.” Those who are fair with regards to their judgement and their family and those who are under them.” (Muslim)
As a side point, the story of Tāriq also shows us that a person’s ethnic and social status did not form an obstacle to their success in Islām and the Muslim community — Tāriq was a new convert to Islām from the Berber tribe and was said to be a freed slave. This shows that Islām provided high status to all those wishing to strive for it.
These were the simple values that informed the lives of students at the University of Granada, at a time when Islamic civilization was the hope, and the light of the world. Is there not a lesson for us today, somewhere?
Tāriq has left behind an amazing legacy despite his young age. He laid the foundation for Muslim rule in Spain which started in 711, and ended in 1492 which amounts to 781 yrs.
The Umayyad on its decline later began to be ruled by independent kingships. Andalusia at this time, which was among the richest and most powerful states in Europe, underwent civil war and fitna, tribulation.
As a result, it broke into small rival emirates fighting amongst themselves and this set in motion the rule of the Taifa Kings — the petty kings. Weakened by chronic infighting, treacherous double-dealing and internal decadence, the taifa kings gave up considerable territory to the Christian kingdoms that were reasserting themselves in the north of the peninsula.
This was a period in which central authority no longer existed amongst the Muslims and cities and territories were fragmented and ruled by different rulers. The Taifa Kings competed with one another. The self-absorption of these petty kings ultimately led to their demise, during which time the Christian rulers became increasingly unified and began to consider expanding into the Southern Peninsula. In many cases, some of these Muslim kings would side with Christian groups against another Muslim state or city.
The Prophet said “If people should break their covenant with Allah and His Messenger, you should realise that this has never happened without Allah sending an enemy against them to take some of their possessions by force.” (Ibn Majah)
Today, we have Muslims and students of knowledge who are self-absorbed and engulfed in petty disputes of differences, all the while the menacing neo-cons and enemies of all Muslims continue to encroach further on our beliefs. It’s high time that we stop resurrecting controversies of a bygone era.
The classical scholars addressed the issues of their time and place and its about time that we collectively start facing the real issues we have here and now.
Muslims Must Mature to The Needs of Their Time
Which is now our time and our turn to solve the issues we face. We have a responsibility to deal with the reality of any given situation.
Islam is a religion of knowledge and not superstition. We do not have the luxury to be aloof. This is why we ask the experts and act accordingly. We are required by Allah to take that knowledge in to account when we derive our rulings. It is known in Fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence) that if a scholar wants to give a ruling regarding a certain issue, then he must first fully comprehend the nature and reality of that issue in order to arrive at the correct ruling.
Our ummah is in dire need of such professional scholarship and objectivity as this is an essential part of what leads to truth in matters and clarifies misinterpretations.
The Muslims before us were centuries ahead of the Europeans in education, hygiene and sanitation. They elevated their societies and were peaking in many fields when they were dynamic enough to connect their religion to real life.
There is an urgent need now to modernise rapidly without relinquishing our own values and ideals in the process — we don’t have to adopt anyone else’s blind spots.
The Ummah must be more effective in using every means at their disposal to create a culture that advances the Muslim agenda. It will require our people to up-skill in all areas of importance and embrace things that enable us to expand our reach and influence.
The World is Constantly Changing
Education was never static and adjusted throughout the ages according to the needs of the people. Much of the recent emphasis in education has been around STEM subjects (science, technology, engineering, and math) and proficiency in those areas is certainly important for today’s students to understand the world around them. A large and diverse pool of highly qualified engineers (of all sorts) is greatly beneficial to any nation striving for innovation, domination and greater economic growth.
However, there is a strong link between reading ability and general academic performance, especially in STEM subjects where specific vocabulary is required, and where the focus in the higher levels moves from simple calculations to complex problem solving.
The ability to communicate ideas effectively is also becoming a highly-prized skill. Collaboration with people is key and so communication must be clear and coherent. The high-value work today is being done in teams. So, while learning technical subjects like math and science is always a good idea, studying subjects that delve into the art of communication — like literature, history and languages — is just as important.
It’s a posture of possibility when it comes to the knowledge we are able to access or the tools we’re able to use. Choosing to understand them, gives you leverage and enables you to use them in perhaps unexpected ways to your advantage.
Transforming Our Capabilities
Humanity has always strived to transform their abilities with technology for millennia. Industries are now constantly being disrupted and new technology is being propagated at an alarming rate. More industrial revolutions seem to be inevitable.
The only way to face them is to be prepared, and master the knowledge well enough to ensure that it brings greater prosperity and justice to mankind, not the other way round.
New tech can’t always be banned or condemned because of its potential misuse. Our broader focus is on making sure the right governance and legislative controls are in place whist individually studying certain matters with urgency and intensity.
A recent study, conducted on behalf of the European Parliament, concludes that “Artificial Intelligence” applications will likely be used in almost all aspects of our daily lives. AI’s benefits include the reduction of economic inefficiencies and labour costs, as well as an increase in high‑skilled jobs.
There are also significant risks that must be managed — through both technical design and policy-making instruments — to maximize these benefits for any given society while protecting its important ethical values which conform to Sharia principles of “circumventing harm as much as possible”.
As AI increasingly becomes an imperative for business models across industries, corporate leaders will be required to identify the specific benefits this complex technology can bring to their businesses as well as their concerns about the need to design, develop and deploy it responsibly.
In most broad areas (education, entertainment, finance etc) the lack of deep visionary thinking is a serious problem. We need to be competent enough to weigh in on the issues that matter today.
It is important to realise that technological breakthroughs with sufficient research and development could by the permission of Allah dramatically change the status quo of nations. These efforts are only a means by which we demonstrate our commitment to Islam and hope for baraka.
A lot of countries around the world are trying to figure out how to overhaul their fossilised curriculums that don’t face up to the challenges of the 21st century.
We mustn’t just seek to adapt to the modern world, but also worker harder to shape it. Our faith needs a generation of leaders who can energise the ummah to take massive action on things that matter and revive our tradition of dynamism to stay relevant and strong.
The Muslims need to be well prepared, determined and capable of safeguarding their legitimate rights, dignity and interests. We either understand that and adjust or feel the ramifications.
Hence, whoever strives to resolve any of the many issues we have today whilst seeking Allahs good pleasure, has the glad tidings of a great return.
— —
The prosperity of this Ummah lies in your development and success. We need more capable and passionate individuals to lead the charge for progress in the various arenas of challenge. May Allah give us the depth of understanding and the wealth of wisdom in to traverse the murky waters that may lay ahead.
