authors on Islam – and through their influence a great majority of our own scholars – are of the opinion that ‘Islamic Civilization’ is derived directly from the civilizations that preceded Islam, especially the Greek and Roman civilizations. In their view, the fact that Islam developed its own characteristic civilization can mostly be attributed to the Arab mindset that altered the pre-existing corpus of knowledge and cultural wealth in a way that its form was changed without any substantial transformation of the content. It is because of this outlook that these people attempt to trace the constituent elements of Islamic civilization in the ancient Persian, Babylonian, Sumerian, Phoenician, Egyptian, Greek and Roman civilizations. Furthermore, they then proceed to investigate the mental processes in the Arab ethos that, so of to say, rebuilt a new edifice from the old building blocks by merely reapplying its own fresh mortar without necessarily having a worldview of its own.
A Misconception
This line of thought is, however, a great misconception. While I do not deny that the human condition, not only in its present form but in every time and age and in every walk of life, has been influenced by the past and that, in a way, every new construction employs the building material of pre-existing structures, I wish to state unequivocally that the Islamic civilization is, in its very existence and essence, purely Islamic. No non-Islamic factor has had the least bit of influence in shaping the core of Islamic civilization. All the same, it is in the expression or manifestation of certain issues that Arab customs and elements of the Arab mindset, as well as extraneous influences from both pre- and post-Islamic cultural traditions, have entered its folds.
Undoubtedly, for any building, the particular architectural style, the construction plans, the proposed use and the appropriateness of the structure for the designated purpose are fundamental considerations, while its paint and surface coverings, façade and beautification elements, fixtures and furniture comprise elements that are only superficial and not of fundamental importance.
Thus, as far as the origins and fundamentals are concerned, the citadel of Islamic civilization is the product of its own genius. The building plans are original and nothing has been borrowed from any other plan. The architectural style has also been invented and developed indigenously with no imitation of foreign forms. The purpose of the construction is also unique; no building either before it or since has ever been built with this aim in mind. Similarly, the type of structure required to achieve the purpose behind the creation of this edifice is also original and fully conforms to the architectural considerations.
The building that now appears as the Islamic civilization is truly purpose-built and complete; no external architect or engineer holds the power to add to it or alter it in any way. As far as the marginal elements are concerned, here too Islam has borrowed very little from others; it can very well be said that most of these marginal factors are Islam’s own. On the contrary, Muslims took the decorative elements from others and proceeded to develop and embellish these to such a point of excellence that superficial observers see the whole building as one whose plan has been totally or extensively borrowed from outside.
The Meaning of Civilization
Before proceeding towards a conclusion about the debate on original and borrowed civilizational factors any further, it is important to answer the question, ‘What is a civilization?’
Generally, people believe that ‘civilization’ is a term that stands for the totality of a nation’s knowledge and wisdom, literature and fine arts, its inventions and products, economic pursuits, living styles and cultural traditions, socio-political norms, and the like. However, the fact of the matter is that these aspects are not the essence of a civilization but only its end results and manifestations, not the stem-root system of civilization’s tree but only its leaves and fruit. The significance and worth of any civilization cannot be assessed on the basis of such appearances and decorative body coverings. Instead, we should attempt to reach the soul of a civilization and explore its underlying, fundamental principles.
The Structural Elements of Civilization
From this latter approach towards studying civilizations, it is important to determine a given civilization’s conceptual view towards temporal existence. What does it have to say about man’s place in this world? How does it regard the world itself? What, according to this civilization, is the relationship of man with this world? And what does it say about man’s interaction with this world – that is, if man were to interact with the world how must he regard this world? These fundamental questions relating to a civilization’s worldview have an extremely profound impact on all other aspects of human life, so much so that any change in the foundations of such concepts totally transforms the nature of the civilization itself.
The second set of questions having a central relationship with the concept of human life in any given civilization deals with the end purpose of life itself; these include questions like these: What, according to this civilization, is the whole object of human life in this world? What is the purpose of all our incessant endeavours, struggles, labours, trials and tribulations? What is that ultimate object of our desire towards which we must move forward – and rapidly so? What is the worldview that we should attempt to strive for? What is that end, consideration of which must always be foremost in each and every one of our actions and efforts? This set of core questions relating to our final destination determines all practical aspects of human life and the pace of the journey. From the answers to such questions follow the choices relating to all human actions and the adoption of successful strategies for meeting the stated objectives.
The third group of questions that constitutes our analysis relates to the manner in which the civilization under study deals with the character building of its individuals as well as the fundamental beliefs and philosophical concepts on which such human development takes place. In what mould does the civilization shape the mentality of its members? What thoughts and feelings does it inspire in the minds and hearts of human beings? What are the motivations that encourage and drive the members of a civilization to act in a certain way, which itself leads to the grand objective that the civilization has set for itself? The fact that the power of human action is subservient to the power of human thought can hardly be debated. The spirit that moves the body into action emanates from the ‘heart’ and mind. The mindset and belief system that a person espouses and the philosophy that rules the ‘heart’ naturally govern all forces geared towards concrete action. The dye in which a mind is set determines all the sensibilities and incentives of the individual who possesses these and all bodily actions that follow also adhere to the individual’s mindset. Indeed, no civilization can come into existence without a fundamental belief system and a conceptual foundation upon which its worldview is based. It is because of this core concept that it is absolutely essential to understand the set of beliefs and worldviews that comprise a civilization’s ethos in order to determine its merit. To use the building metaphor once again, such an analysis of a civilization’s highs and lows is as important as inquiring about the depth and strength of a structure’s foundation when one is determining its strength and durability.
Coming to the fourth level of inquiry, we need to ask, ‘What kind of human beings does the civilization aim to make out of its constituent members?’ Or in other words, ‘How will the group conscience act to transform the mere physical and animal entities of men and women into humans?’ This is also to ask, ‘What kind of moral and ethical training does the civilization provide its people with whereby they are able to prepare themselves for leading successful lives within the ideology that the said civilization has stated for itself?’ What are the states, traits and characteristics that it aims to inculcate and develop at both individual and group levels and what kind of human beings are actually produced as a result of the particular moral training that is imparted?
The intellectual basis of this level of analysis should be quite clear, especially in the light of the widespread recognition that human beings are the single most important asset for any
