The Modern Age
One problem of the present-day Muslims is that they suffer from the mentality of anachronism on a large scale. This is because they have not discarded the model they have inherited from their past. Owing to the unawareness of the times, they are perpetuating the ancient model in the modern age. But this method is not going to produce any positive result. For instance, the language of fatwa for reform was prevalent in ancient times. Today’s Ulama are still adopting the same model of fatwa for reform. That is why they opt for the way of Takfir (declaring a Muslim to be guilty of apostasy). They issue a fatwa of kufr against whatever they think is not right and they declare that the culprit must be killed, although today these methods are not going to work in any degree so far as reform is concerned. In the age of rational argument, only rational argument can be effective and acceptable to people. Today is not the age of the language of fatwa, it is not going to work.
Similarly, the Muslims have launched violent movements in the name of jihad on a large scale to achieve Islamic ends in present times. But that age no longer exists when the method of violence was effective. In present times, to achieve any goal the method of peace is fully workable. Therefore, the peaceful method, not the violent one should be used to achieve our goals.
Another group of Muslims has adopted the method of debate in the name of the propagation of Islam, in spite of the fact that the method of debate has become outdated. In present times what is important for such work is dialogue and discussion rather than debate. The method of dialogue and discussion should, therefore, be used for the propagation of Islam.
Similarly, many Muslim leaders have adopted the model of protest journalism and protest leadership for the progress of their community, being unaware that this model of journalism and leadership has become totally ineffective. In present times, protest journalism and protest leadership are synonymous with wasting one’s time: they are not workable at all.
In present times, those Muslim leaders who rise for the cause of the Ummah are motivated only by their internal impulse. They never made a serious study to understand the present age and how to work effectively in present times. I would recommend that they read the book titled ‘The Great Intellectual Revolution’ by John Fredrick West. (1965, p.132)
The basic error on the part of the Muslim leaders is that they regard the modern age to be the enemy of the age of Islam. This is totally baseless. The truth is that the modern age is a pro-Islam age in the full sense. It is in accordance with the prediction made in this tradition which describes that a time will come when non-Muslim nations will become supporters of Islam. (Musnad Ahmad, Hadith No. 20454)
This is the plan of God Himself. A plan was initiated through Prophet Abraham, which can be called desert-based planning. Through this planning a team was formed which was favourable to Islam. By working on this team, the Prophet of Islam trained his Companions who were called the best nation ‘khair e ummat’ in the Quran (3:110).
Similarly, in the 7th century, by dint of the hard work of the Prophet and his Companions, a new historical process set in. Modern civilization was the secular product of this process. This civilization, in its reality, was a pro-Islam civilization. Muslim leaders failed to understand this and unnecessarily waged war against it. But the need of the hour was rather to initiate a new planning of the Islamic mission with the support of this civilization.
